Gaston Students Win Awards at 2025 SkillsUSA NC Competition
Earlier this month, fourteen Gaston College students won awards at the SkillsUSA N.C. competition in Greensboro.
2nd Place – Video News Production: Aaron Park, Ashleigh Parra, Asaad Tumbling, Morgan Wise (Tumbling won first place last year in Video Production and a silver medal at the 2024 SkillsUSA national competition.)
2nd Place – Video Production: Hunter Blackburn and Ty Cobb
4th Place – Video Production: Zoey Dees and Erika Shelton
5th Place – Audio Production: Colby Love and Ian Moore
1st Place – Medical Assisting: Kierra Clark
2nd Place – Medical Assisting: Eli Johnson
3rd Place – Medical Terminology: Donna Burnett
4th Place – Medical Terminology: Giovanni Herrera
“We are so proud of all our students who competed at Skills,” said Lisa Albright-Jurs, Dean of Career & Technical Education. “Competing takes a lot of extra time and energy on their part – and their faculty advisors. Our students excellently represented Gaston College, bringing home numerous medals and showing off their technical skills and professionalism.
“Many thanks to our SkillsUSA advisors for putting in the extra time and energy to make this experience possible: Audio/Video Production: Kate Carmody and Ron Key (with special training assistance from Nick Cable) and Medical Assisting/Medical Terminology: Melody Gibson, Allison Fraley, and Lythia Bynum.”
Gibson, Gaston College’s Program Director for Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy said: “I have taken students to SkillsUSA for the past three years and each year has been an incredible experience. The selected Medical Assisting students train hard and sharpen their clinical skills and prepare for anything that might be asked of them in competition. From mastering procedures to thinking on their feet under pressure, they gain real-world confidence and knowledge that sets them apart. Watching their transformation is the best part and what amazes me most is the confidence I see grow in them after the experience. SkillsUSA not only showcases our students’ strengths but reminds them just how capable and career-ready they truly are.”
First-place winner Clark said the recognition was the culmination of a long process for her.
“School was always a struggle for me growing up, and it made me feel like I wouldn’t amount to anything,” Clark said. “I was often told I wouldn’t succeed because I couldn’t grasp the basics, but being in the MA program has changed that. I’ve gained the confidence I never thought I’d have. Being chosen out of the whole class felt like a true honor and, more importantly, like I was finally seen. The experience of being part of SkillsUSA, especially making it to nationals at 34, was incredible. It gave me a new appreciation for myself and my abilities.”
Carmody, Gaston College’s Program Chair of Audio and Video Production Technology/Sports Media Technology said: “It has been wonderful to watch my students train and apply their learning in what they do best. Skills USA is a great chance for them to bond as classmates and teammates and apply their learning from Gaston.”
