Several Craven Community College (Craven CC) students recently proved their proficiency during the SkillsUSA National Skilled Trades Championships, held June 20-22 in Atlanta. Students took home a gold medal for Technical Computer Applications and bronze for Crime Scene Investigation.
The annual SkillsUSA national conference allowed more than 6,000 career and technical education students to compete in hands-on trade, technical, and leadership fields. During the competition, students worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in specific occupations including electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, with testing competencies set by industry.
Benton Melville participated in the Technical Computer Applications competition, which tested his aptitude in installation, configuration, and use of Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux Professional Operating Systems and one or more integrated office suite packages; utilization of instant messaging, collaboration, and social networking software; an oral presentation demonstrating an ability to communicate with others, a hands-on skills demonstration, and a written examination.
“Benton’s tremendous success at SkillsUSA is a fitting culmination of this chapter of his life as an Information Technology student here at Craven CC,” said Annette Walker, Information Technology instructor. “He has faced many personal challenges that might have derailed other students in their academic journey. He has come back each year with the resolve to achieve his goal. We are all delighted that he has been rewarded for his determination and persistence with this national recognition.”
Melville plans to graduate from Craven CC’s Information Technology Technical Support program next May.
For the Crime Scene Investigation competition, Craven CC students Matthew Dukes, Grant Hardee, and Michael Rousseau took a test assessing overall crime scene knowledge; processed a staged crime scene that entailed searching, identifying evidence, measuring, photographing, and preparing a sketch; demonstrated skills such as lifting a fingerprint, swabbing serological evidence, and packaging evidence; interpreted common evidence such as classifying a fingerprint pattern; and completed narratives, crime logs, and similar paperwork. Adding to the challenge is the fact that students do not know anything about the crime scene until they walk into it.
“It's a rewarding feeling to contribute to the future of law enforcement,” said LauraAnn Avery, Craven CC Criminal Justice instructor. “I know they can 100% accurately work a crime scene, and I am extremely proud of them.”
Hardee will complete Craven CC’s Criminal Justice program next May, while Dukes will complete it this summer and Rousseau graduated this past May. Dukes and Rousseau will begin the college’s Basic Law Enforcement Training program this fall.
All students who competed in Atlanta were able to go at no cost thanks to the generosity of the Craven Community College Foundation, Carl Perkins Grant Funding and the Havelock Rotary Club.
In order to qualify for the national competition, students were required to place in the SkillsUSA State Conference, which was held April 18-20 in Greensboro. There were 15 Craven CC medalists, including Melville for Technical Computer Applications and Dukes, Hardee, and Rousseau for Crime Scene Investigation, all of whom brought home gold.
“They don’t tell you how many pieces of evidence you were supposed to find [in the crime scene],” Avery noted. “My students found 11 pieces of evidence—they were only supposed to find five. I knew that this team of three students could immediately go out and work an actual crime scene.”
SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce by providing students with the opportunities to gain personal skills, workplace skills and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA chapters help students excel who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations. SkillsUSA has more than 380,000 students and instructors as members at the national level.
“We are extremely proud of all of our students for their hard work and perseverance in these competitions,” said Matthew Berg, Associate Dean of Career Programs. “Each one showed an incredible amount of skill and demonstrated vast knowledge in their respective fields of study, and I have no doubt they will continue to excel in their career paths.”
SkillsUSA 2023 State Conference Craven CC Medalists:
Barbering – Shamair Bryan: Bronze, Ta Chi Po: 4th place
CNC Technician – Storm Ducharme: Bronze
CNC Turning Specialist – Zachary Felts: Gold
Cosmetology – Tiara Parchman: Silver
Crime Scene Investigation – Team B (Matthew Dukes, Grant Hardee, Michael Rousseau): Gold
Cybersecurity – Team C (Samuel Ortiz, Luis Miranda-Jimenez): Silver
Esthetics – Jordyn Blacklock: Gold, Carol Khamrin: Silver
Fantasy Hair and Makeup – Allison Snook: Bronze
Information Technology Services – Erik Bessey: Bronze
Technical Computer Applications – Benton Melville: Gold
Technical Drafting – Spencer Higgs: Gold, David Starnes: Silver
Welding Fabrication – Team D (Klay Kbaw, Jake Kirby, Luke Rogers): 4th place