SkillsUSA Wins State and National Awards

July 15, 2025

Motlow State’s chapter of SkillsUSA gives career and technical education students opportunities to apply their knowledge and compete with students from other institutions who share their passions. The team recently attended both state and national competitions and returned home with various awards for exhibiting outstanding work in multiple technical disciplines.

Motlow State’s chapter is one of largest, boasting 975 students. Those who attended the state competition achieved 18 medals as well as the prestigious Gold Chapter of Excellence. Medal winners include:

Post-Secondary Division –

Gold - EMT A: Dalton Nall and Aaron Gallegos
Silver - EMT B: Casey Jackson and Lia Hose
Bronze - First Aid/CPR: Jillian Lucas
Bronze - EMT C: Ashly Jones and De Leia McKinnie
Gold - Robotics C: Saul Smith and Tristen Barber
Silver - Principles of Engineering: Yasmin Musa

Secondary Division (for dual-enrollment students)–

Bronze - Mechatronics F: Cyrus McCormack and Hayden Holmstrom
Gold - Robotics E: Nicholas O'Hara and Kaden Mullican

After the team’s success at the state competition, 31 students then went to compete in Nationals. They accomplished two first-time achievements for the chapter, in addition to both the post-secondary and secondary teams being named one of the top five chapters in the country in their respective categories.

According to Houston Austin, EMS Director and SkillsUSA advisor, “This year, for the first time, we competed in the Robotics and EMT categories in both the secondary and post-secondary divisions, which highlights the success of both our traditional students and dual enrollment program. EMS also had a first, with the post-secondary winning gold in the EMT competition.”

Post-secondary winners in the EMS category are Dalton Nall and Aaron Gallegos. Dual enrollment students Leah Johnson and Braden Sprague both earned fourth place in the Secondary category. Post-Secondary students Saul Smith and Tristen Barber achieved fourth place in the Robotics category while dual enrollment students Nicholas O’Hara and Kaden Mullican achieved fifth place in the Secondary Robotics category.

Motlow faculty who serve as SkillsUSA advisors, chairs, and judges are:

Houston Austin – Lead Advisor, Tech Chair EMT
Kenny Moffitt – EMS Advisor
Dr. Amy Holder – Advisor, Tech Chair Nursing Assistant
Melissa Paz, Richard Blackburn, Mike Oliver – Mechatronics
Charlie King, Emmett Woodard – Robotics
Dr. Tony Millican – Advisor
Joseph Marco, Mariam Tanas, Gabrielle Miller – Computers
Angela Kirby – Tech Chair Practical Nursing
Dr. Stacey Harlen – Tech Chair Basic Nursing Skills
Laura Booth, Tammy Langston – Advisors / Judges

Motlow State’s SkillsUSA students strive for excellence inside and outside the classroom, exhibiting determination to grow not only in the workforce but as people. Achievements like these are only made possible through hard work and dedication from both employees and students. To learn how you can get involved and take your career and technical education to the next level, contact Houston Austin at [email protected].