Vocational Students Score Big at National Competition

Students at the were awarded gold and silver medals at the June National Skills USA Championships in Kansas City.

The competition—held by the National Skills USA organization in conjunction with industry, trade associations and labor organizations—was held in Kansas City June 22 and June 23. A total of about 5,600 career and technical education students competed, after having been state contest winners in leadership, trade and technical fields.

Bridgewater resident Emad Madha was elected to the National High School Officers' Team after campaigning to be on the team to represent the organization.

Other students participating in the competition received a variety of awards:

• Basking Ridge resident Zoe Petitt, a culinary arts student, won a gold medal in the prepared speech competition.
• Olabade Omole, of North Plainfield; Preethi Govindarajan, of Bridgewater; and Urma Jalil, of Bridgewater competed in the health science category and won silver medals. They were members of the Academy for Health & Medical Sciences' Tech Prep Team at the academy.
• Academy Tech Prep Team member Aditya Aiyer, of Sterling; Regine Canuel, of Raritan; and Hyder Ali, of Bridgewater received national silver medals in the agricultural foods and natural resources category.

According to a release from the academy, NJ Skills USA organization advisors Evangeline Byrd and Robyn Szymanski held many fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the trip.

"We are so pleased with the medal winners and our elected national officer, Emad Madha, who will represent more than 300,000 student members of the National Skills USA organization," Byrd said in the release. "This is a first to have an elected national officer from our school."