Irving Mendoza from Cherokee High School and Breanna Wallace from Cedartown High School compete in the First AID/CPR event at the SkillsUSA contest Friday at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. Mendoza hopes to become a surgical oncologist, while Wallace wants to land a job as a life flight nurse one day. (Doug Walker, RN-T.com)
Jacob Collins (from left), from Adairsville High School, and Quentin Nash, from Woodland High School, compete in one of the automotive skills events at the SkillsUSA program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College on Friday. (Doug Walker, RN-T.com)
Logan Mobbs of Cedartown High School competes in Precision Machining Technology during SkillsUSA at Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
Gabriela Pantoja of Gilmer County High School competes in public speaking. She wants to be a teacher.
The workforce development program is a nationwide partnership between students, teachers and various industries.
Breanna Wallace, a senior at Cedartown High School, competed in — and won — the First AID/CPR competition, a prelude to what she hopes will be an exciting career in health care.
“I plan to become a life flight nurse,” she said, adding that she’ll be attending LaGrange College.
Irving Mendoza, a senior at Cherokee High School, was also entered in the First AID/CPR event. He said he’ll be entering Emory University next year with plans to become a surgical oncologist.
Gabriela Pantoja, a senior at Gilmer County High School, clearly impressed the judge during her public speaking presentation. Pantoja, who finished second in the event, hopes to become a high school social studies teacher one day.
“This helps me get out of my shell and communicate more effectively with students and other people,” Pantoja said. “I know I need to stand up and talk a lot and have a better connection with everybody else.”
She wants to attend Kennesaw State University and get a degree in education.
Frank Pinson, CEO of the Floyd County College and Career Academy, was one of the judges in the job interview competition.
“The students prepare a resume for a job of their own choosing,” Pinson said. “Then they have to fill out a job application within a specific amount of time before they come in the interview.”
Tiffanie Reyna, a senior at Heritage High School in Catoosa County, said participating in the event would help set her up for the future.
“Except for my job interview with Bi-Lo, which I got on the spot, this is for something that I want to go into — so it’s preparing me for something that I really want to do,” she said.
Reyna won first place in the event. She is hoping for a career in social work and plans to attend the University of Georgia next year.
Colby O’Neal and Chance Smith of the Floyd County College and Career Academy won first in graphic communications and computer maintenance technician respectively. The College and Career Academy also produced two second-place winners: Katie Pittman, for pin design, and Tyler Stahl, for advertising design.
All four advanced to the state competition, scheduled for March 21-23 at the Georgia International Convention Center.
The Georgia House proclaimed Thursday as SkillsUSA Day at the Capitol under a resolution commending the program that was sponsored by state Rep. Christian Coomer, R-Cartersville.
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