NOVA Students Win 23 Medals at SkillsUSA State Championship!
At the SkillsUSA Virginia State Leadership Conference, held in Virginia Beach on April 23, students from NOVA won 14 gold medals, 5 silver, and 4 bronze!
Each gold medalist was declared a State Champion in their respective competitive event, including Additive Manufacturing, Commercial sUAS Drone, Computer Programming, Engineering Technology Design, Interactive Application and Video Game Development, Job Interview, Job Skills Demonstration Open, Principles of Engineering Technology, and Related Technical Math. All gold medalists qualified for the SkillsUSA National Championship in Atlanta in June.
In total, there were 8 individual champions and 6 team champions, consisting of a two-person and three-person teams. Below are the winning NOVA students and their respective events:
| Competition | # on team | NOVA Student/SkillsUSA Member | SkillsUSA Virginia State Leadership Conference 2024 Placement |
| Additive Manufacturing | 2 | Nickolas Cowen | State Champion |
| Additive Manufacturing | 2 | Tariq Aldalou | State Champion |
| Commercial sUAS Drone | 2 | Alait Mesfune | State Champion |
| Commercial sUAS Drone | 2 | Heidy Sandoval | State Champion |
| Computer Programming | 1 | Serhat Erdogmus | |
| Computer Programming | 1 | Mohamed Aziz Laouiti | State Champion |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Julio Gagnon | |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Misandratr’Avo Andriamasino
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| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Thomas Choe | |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Lauren Traversa | State Champion |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Mateo Aguilar | State Champion |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Nyan Prakash | State Champion |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Benjamin Yam | |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Kanykei Korosheva | |
| Engineering Technology Design | 3 | Maddie Gebremichael | |
| Interactive Application and Video Game Development | 2 | Cinthia Terceros | State Champion |
| Interactive Application and Video Game Development | 2 | Ugur Aksu | State Champion |
| Job Interview | 1 | Lemar Ali | State Champion |
| Job Skills Demonstration Open | 1 | Liza Alekseeva | State Champion |
| Principles of Engineering Technology | 1 | Jonathon Gebremichael | |
| Principles of Engineering Technology | 1 | Claudio Molina | State Champion |
| Tanjim Redhwan | 1 | Related Technical Math | State Champion |
| Kiera White | 1 | Technical Drafting |
Feedback from SkillsUSA students included the following:
Claudio Molina won 1st place in the Principles of Engineering category with his design of a car transmission. “Without support from NOVA, I wouldn’t have had the materials needed to build a five-speed manual transmission system,” Claudio said. “The Fab Lab in Manassas was particularly helpful. It provides a great work environment with a friendly, supportive staff who guided me on the materials and tools to use. Without the lab, I wouldn’t have been able to undertake this kind of project.”
Lauren Traversa, Mateo Aguilar, and Nyan Prakash took 1st place in the Engineering Technology Design category with their Automatic Dog Trainer.
“Without the resources provided by NOVA, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this,” Lauren said. “The help from faculty like Mary, along with the Fab Lab and resources such as 3D printers and various supplies, was crucial. They not only assisted us throughout the competition but also managed all the arrangements needed for the event. This support was critical to our success.”
“The most important aspect was Mary’s incredible support at the Fab Lab; she stayed late, which was really awesome,” Mateo says. “Having the Fab Lab open for extended hours was crucial. I’d like the Fab Lab to offer even longer hours. Most of us competing are based at the Annandale Campus, making it challenging to travel to the Manassas Campus where the Fab Lab is located. I’m really grateful for Mary’s flexibility. Moving forward, my next step is to develop the Automatic Dog Trainer into an actual product that I can sell.”
Kanykei Korosova, Benjamin Yam, and Maddie Gebremichael took 2nd place in the Engineering Technology Design for their Radio Control Airplane.
“It was great, honestly. Having support from the Fab Lab really made a difference,” Benjamin said. “Mary provided the materials on time, which was fantastic, allowing us to start working immediately. It was also nice to connect with other like-minded individuals involved in the project. Mary, Justin, and Andy were very supportive; they not only scheduled the trip to Virginia Beach but also organized the entire club and set up the competition. It provided a good platform. We were fortunate to have access to ample resources, which was a big plus.”
“This is my second time participating in SkillsUSA, which is awesome,” Kanykei said. “I felt more comfortable presenting this time; it just came naturally to me. I didn’t have to force anything, and surprisingly, there wasn’t much need for additional practice because of my previous experience. Overall, it was a good experience that gave me significant exposure to the field I’m entering.
“In terms of leadership, my involvement has been extensive. For example, I started the Virginia Tech Engineering Transfer Club and became the president of the Student Government Association (SGA). This allowed me to immerse myself in a community that was naturally aligned with my field. Becoming a leader in clubs related to my interests felt like a natural progression into SkillsUSA.”
“NOVA gave me the opportunity. There was help and support from mentors and professors,” Maddie said. “It helped me realize my potential. It was a great opportunity.”
Alait Mesfune and Heidy Sandoval took first place in the Commercial sUAS Drone event.
“I just wanted to give a shoutout to Mary and Justin at the Fab Lab. Their mentorship was crucial for us in the competition,” Heidy said. “Without their help, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Also, a big thanks to NOVA for making it all possible; without their funding and resources, we wouldn’t have been able to participate in this amazing opportunity. They set us up for success by providing us with study guides and drone equipment. And SkillsUSA, sponsored by NOVA? It was a blast! It gave me something to look forward to this semester, and I was able to make new friendships along the way!”
The State Leadership Conference allowed students to use the technical knowledge acquired in the classroom to solve real-world problems and apply what they had learned, with coaching and advising from industry professionals, in a competitive environment. Now, they have the chance to represent NOVA on the national stage!