Assistance for Students to Demonstrate Their Skills
LEESBURG, Va.—Harbor Freight Tools for Schools has awarded $50,000 in scholarships to 38 high school students from across the country to help cover travel expenses for SkillsUSA students to compete in the SkillsUSA Championships in Louisville, Ky.
The scholarships are part of a $115,000 grant from Harbor Freight Tools for Schools to SkillsUSA that also supports 12 high school SkillsUSA chapters with financial resources to promote student growth and help graduates be better prepared for work or higher education with essential career skills.
The students, all of whom are SkillsUSA gold medalists in their respective states, each received up to $1,500 in scholarship funds for travel expenses. They were selected through a competitive written application process that included answering questions about how they embody the SkillsUSA Creed and how they use their skills to support their communities.
The winning students, chosen by SkillsUSA from 151 applicants, represent 21 states and specialize in trades such as agriculture, architectural drafting, automotive, carpentry, construction, electrical, HVAC, masonry, machining and welding.
“We sincerely thank Harbor Freight Tools for Schools for supporting America’s future skilled workforce,” said SkillsUSA’s executive director, Tim Lawrence. “Our students deserve this opportunity to showcase their skills and are grateful for the support they receive. As a verified talent pipeline and skills gap solution, SkillsUSA graduates 100,000 students each year who complete their technical program and are job-ready Day One.”
At the SkillsUSA Championships, June 25-27, more than 6,400 competitors will be tested in 103 leadership and hands-on occupational skills contests, the majority of which are STEM-focused. Competitions are as diverse as Carpentry, Electrical Construction Wiring, Cybersecurity, Automated Manufacturing Technology, Graphic Communications, Mobile Electronics Installation, Information Technology Services and Medical Assisting. Competitions are planned by industry to its standards for entry-level workers.
“These students are the future of skilled trades in our country,” said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “We are honored to support them in their pursuit of excellence and an honorable career in these critical trades.”
The winners are:
- Kristofer Brownfield, Earnest Pruett Center of Technology, Hollywood, Ala.
- Brianna Parmley, Chelsea (Ala.) High School
- Caitlin Aispuro, Rifle (Colo.) High School
- Joseph Frenette, Oliver Wolcott Technical High School, Torrington, Conn.
- Dylan Magao and Christian Wood, H.H. Ellis Technical High School, Killingly, Conn.
- Erick Arvizu, Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College, Miami, Fla.
- Andrew Pfeifer, Streamwood (Ill.) High School
- Raynor Eddy, Richmond (Ind.) High School – RACC
- Madison Bergkamp and Kaya Hartnett, Meade (Kan.) High School
- Cole Clements, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center, Pomfret, Md.
- Trevor Hudson and Kevin Rodriguez, Worcester Technical School, Newark, Md.
- Greg Mullinix, Carroll County Career and Technology Center, Westminster, Md.
- Danasia Lewis, Larry Summers Vocational-Technical Center, Yazoo City, Miss.
- Carl Moore, Current River Career Center, Doniphan, Mo.
- Theodore Mulnix, Lewis and Clark Career Center, St. Charles, Mo.
- Ryan Pemberton, Davis H. Hart Career Center, Mexico, Mo.
- Nathan Tully, Carrollton (Mo.) Area Career Center
- Lydia Lillquist, Sebeka (Minn.) Public School
- Rebecca Maring, Anselmo-Merna (Neb.) High School
- Jennifer Sabatka and Jenifer Velazquez-Perfecto, The Career Academy, Lincoln, Neb.
- Sawyer Sanschagrin, Berlin (N.H.) High School
- Nathaniel Moreno, Hobbs (N.M.) High School
- Shayne Hoffman, Dickinson (N.D.) High School
- Frank Schweitzer, Career Academy – Bismarck (N.D.) Public Schools
- Matthew Skavroneck, Jamestown (N.D.) High School
- Benjamin Bressel, Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center, Milwaukee, Wis.
- Miranda Cook, Monument (Ore.) High School
- Joe Hardy, Seth Loffer and Abe Noveske, Grants Pass (Ore.) High School
- Jasmine Yachasz, Lancaster County Career and Technology Center – Brownstown, Ephrata, Pa.
- Ryan Gregory, Westmoreland (Tenn.) High School
- Ladd Davis, Maple Mountain High School, Spanish Fork, Utah
- Jakobi Hibbert, Big Piney (Wyo.) High School
Contacts:
Swati Pandey
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
O:424-363-1785
C: 818-317-2131
Jane Short or Karen Kitzel
SkillsUSA
703-777-8810
jshort@skillsusa.org or kkitzel@skillsusa.org
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the “skills gap” in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has more than 360,000 annual members nationwide in high schools, colleges and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. For more information: www.skillsusa.org
About Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools Founder Eric Smidt, to support the advancement of skilled trades education in America. With a deep respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, this program was created to foster and shine a light on excellence in skilled trades education in public high schools. Believing that access to quality skilled trades education gives high school students pathways to graduation, opportunity, good jobs and a workforce our country needs, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to stimulate greater understanding, support and investment by public entities and others in skilled trades education. Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program. For more information, visit: harborfreighttoolsforschools.org
