Regional qualifying rounds for SkillsUSA are now complete. Thirty-one students from Northland Pioneer College (NPC) and the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) are now gearing up for the statewide competition which will be held on March 28 and 29, 2024 in Phoenix. The regional SkillsUSA events included high school competitors from Arizona’s District 7, which is comprised of Blue Ridge, Colorado City, Dishchiibikoh Community School, Flagstaff, Fredonia Moccasin School, Grand Canyon, Heber-Overgaard, Holbrook, Joseph City, NAVIT, Page, Round Valley, Saint Johns, Show Low, Snowflake, Whiteriver, Williams and Winslow Unified School Districts. 

The cosmetology SkillsUSA event took place at NPC’s Show Low campus on February 5. NPC’s Winslow cosmetology group dominated the podium. In the post-secondary division, Winslow NPC cosmetology student Lekira Begay took first place, with fellow cosmetology student Faith Joe finishing second. In the secondary division, Winslow cosmetology NAVIT student Terianne Skaggs finished first. She also received a scholarship to NPC. NAVIT cosmetology students Adriana Morales and Ortencia Salazar finished second and third, respectively.

NPC’s new Skills Center at NPC’s Show Low campus hosted the February 9, 2024, regional competitions in automotive, carpentry, electrical, masonry, welding, and leadership. In the automotive competition, NAVIT student Dawson Lee of Snowflake took first place. Flagstaff High School’s Jonathan Chapman placed second and NAVIT Snowflake student Jose Ruiz finished third.

For the carpentry competition, NAVIT Holbrook student Abrian Roanhorse finished first. Caleb Tsinnijinnie of Page High School took second, and Holbrook NAVIT student Chase Salabye placed third. In the post-secondary carpentry division, NPC student Jeremy Begay took first.

Snowflake High School swept the electrical competition, with Cade Hall placing first, Anthony Mckey, second; and William Mathewson taking third. In the post-secondary division, NPC Holbrook student Kaden Matott took first-place honors.

In the masonry secondary competition, Holbrook NAVIT student Samuel Noble took first place. The silver medal went to Snowflake High School’s Thor Webster and fellow Snowflake student Parker Sherwood finished third.

Flagstaff High School’s Cannon Eagar and Ethan Overton finished one-two in the secondary individual welding competition. Snowflake NAVIT student Owen Rhoton finished third. NPC student Paige McCartney, of Holbrook took first place in individual welding for the post-secondary division.

The team from Flagstaff High School, comprised of Peter Barnes, Logan Othan, and Ezra Rupp finished first in the welding fabrication competition. Second place went to the team from NAVIT’s St. Johns location, Corbin Becker, Lucas McGinnis, and Pacer Wiltbank. The Holbrook NAVIT team of Bray Crandell, Seth McCray, and David Williams finished third.

NAVIT Snowflake crushed the field of welding sculpture competitors. Payden Packard took first, Kaely Blace second, and Tabitha Lubeski rounded out the group in third place.

For the job interview event, NAVIT Snowflake’s Emily Reveles received the gold; Jose Ruiz the silver; and Johanna Lechuga the bronze in the post-secondary division.

For the job skills demo, NAVIT’s cosmetology students ruled. Audra Rhoton of Snowflake took first. Holbrook’s Ortencia Salazar finished second. Third place went to fellow Holbrook cosmetology student Adriana Morales. In the post-secondary competition, NPC’s Lekira Begay of Holbrook took first.

In job skill open demo, Holbrook NAVIT cosmetology student Terianne Skaggs finished first in the secondary division. Classmate Faith Joe took first in the post-secondary.

The firefighting competition for SkillsUSA Region 7 was held at NPC’s Northeastern Arizona Training Center (NATC) in Taylor on Monday, February 12. NAVIT student Josiah Moffatt of Snowflake took first place while fellow firefighting students, Diego Colon and Elias Leslie took second and third-place awards.

Gold medalists at the state event qualify for the annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC). The national event will showcase the best career and technical education students from throughout the United States in Atlanta, GA, June 24-28, 2024.

SkillsUSA is an applied method of instruction for preparing America’s high-performance workers enrolled in public career and technical programs. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship, and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes, and communication skills. SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is cited as a “successful model of employer-driven youth development training program” by the U.S. Department of Labor and is an OSHA Alliance partner.  

Thank you to our industry partners for supporting this event, our students, and our programs.

Auto

• Bill's Machine Shop
• Carquest
• Discount Tire
• Harris Automotive
• Hatch Toyota
• Horne Auto Center
• NAPA Auto & Truck Parts
• O'Reilly Auto Parts
• Snap-on Tools
• Tyler Kay Trucking

Welding

• CAID industries
• Ironworkers Local 75
• Linde Gas & Equipment
• Sentry Welding Supply, LLC
• Salt River Project
• White Mountain Steel
• Zachary

Cosmetology

• Armstrong
• Color Me Beautiful Cosmetics
• Domino's Pizza
• Fantastic Sams
• Great Clips
• Gypsy Soul Wild Heart Salon
• Rustic Allure
• SmartStyle Hair Salons

Construction

• Arizona Masonry Council
• Builders FirstSource
• Lowe's Home Improvement