College to send 3 to national competition

A South Central Louisiana Technical College-Young Memorial Campus contingent traveled to a Skills USA state competition in Lafayette on May 8 and 9 and returned with four students claiming medals, including three who will move on to national competition.
Beverly Henn, college practical nursing department head, commended the participants for their hard work and dedication.
Six students participated in the state competition with four of them winning medals — two golds, a silver and a bronze.
The two gold medal winners automatically qualify for advancement to national competition to compete against students from across the United States. They were Katie Cook in medical math and Michaela Balli in job skill demonstration.
Henn said Cook’s participation was in an “extremely hard” competition that involved computations of pharmaceutical dosages under a wide set of circumstance. “It is the same type of math a pharmacist would have to do,” Henn said.
Balli, utilizing her own personal equipment, demonstrated such proficiency in her skill set that she earned a trip to the finals despite just being a freshman, Henn said.
Brice Daigle won a silver in heating, ventilation and air conditioning. He will advance to the national competition as the gold winner at the state event is not going.
Anthony Baham is an instructor in the program at the Morgan City campus and was recently appointed campus dean at the Lafourche campus in Thibodaux. He praised Daigle’s performance in the competition as well as the first year student’s potential for becoming a leader in the industry.
“Brice is a very dedicated student up to the challenge of becoming the best he can be,” Baham said. “He is a first year student, but has placed in national competition. To see a first year student place is a great feat.”
Austin Vinning was another medal winner for the college in Lafayette. Vinning earned a bronze in HVAC.
Kole Fluke (HVAC) and Travis Brown (nursing) also participated in the state competition.
“I am so proud of all of the students that took the time to practice and study and then took the time to travel and participate in the state competition,” Henn said.
Baham said Skills USA is a career-oriented leadership organization focused on individual success at home, the classroom, the community and the workplace. Once a year students earn the privilege to compete in their trade areas with other students on the state level.
“Skills helps student to be, not just the best they can be in skills, but also learn to assume roles in leadership,” Baham said. “It rounds them out as a person and a leader ... as the future for tomorrow.”
Baham also touted the heating, ventilation and air conditioning program at the college as an avenue to a well-paying job in a high-demand trade.
“It is expected that in the next six to eight years, 60,000 new jobs will be created in the industry with a median income of about $44,000 and a starting wage from $12 to $15 per hour,” Baham said. A student can be trained and ready for graduation from the program in about a year and a half, he said.
Henn said a $5,000 H&B Young Foundation donation, which students and advisors tapped to go to Lafayette, will help pay the expenses to the national competition in Kansas City, Mo. The college is trying to raise another $3,000 for the trip and is soliciting tax-deductible contributions.