SkillsUSA

HCC students take home awards at SkillsUSA competition

Thursday, April 24, 2025

(Clyde, NC) - SkillsUSA is an annual championship event that is the premier showcase of America’s most highly skilled career and technical education students. This event is one of the world's largest hands-on workforce development events.

The annual national competition, held in the summer, is a culmination of a year-long process that begins at local SkillsUSA chapters across the country. Local winners advance to district or regional competitions, testing their skills against competitors from other schools. Haywood Community College had 13 students from six program areas participate in the state-level competition this year, with seven bringing back medals.

• Peter Baldasoro, part of HCC’s Collision and Repair program, received first place in automotive refinishing, he is a collision repair and refinishing student.
• Brandon Garland placed second in automotive tool identification.
• Roman Rapp, an HCC Industrial Systems Technology program student, placed fifth in electronic technology.
• Austin Deal and Ryan Raegen in HCC’s Machining program, placed fourth and fifth, respectively in the CNC machining competition.
• Kevin Kyle, an HCC Electrical Systems Technology student at HCC, placed fifth in electrical construction.
• Haven (Bella) Perkins represented HCC in the all-day Cosmetology competition, winning third place. She had to perform many skills, such as haircuts, styling, hair design, customer service skills, and more.

As part of Peter’s first-place award, he received a prize package of vehicle painting equipment and supplies valued at over $2,000. He will represent HCC at the national SkillsUSA competition this summer. This is the second time HCC has been represented at nationals in the past 8 years.

Haywood Community College is proud to have a strong representation in competitions such as SkillsUSA. Each student who participated is a strong competitor, showcasing their knowledge and hands-on skills among other competitors in their respective areas.