Porter County students brought home the gold—and silver—from the Mar. 15 state SkillsUSA competition in Indianapolis.
Hayden Radigan, senior at Valparaiso High School, placed first in the Electronics Technology competition, while Tate Kwiecinski, senior at Chesterton High School, nabbed the silver medal for second place.
In the Architectural Drafting competition, Kristen Buth, senior at Boone Grove High School, took home the silver medal.
The electronics competitors had to show their skills through both written and hands-on work. They took the Student Electronics Technician (SET) proficiency exam. They also had to work through a debugging situation, put a circuit together, and show their soldering techniques.
Hayden qualified for the national Electronics Technology competition in Kansas City, MO, in June. After high school, he wants to attend Purdue North Central to study electrical engineering. His CHS activities have included band and games club.
While at SkillsUSA, Hayden earned the SET certification, as did Nicholas Keleman, junior at Washington Township High School.
Tate plans to study web development and software development at Purdue University Calumet.
All three boys study Electronics & Computer Technology with instructor Dave Kenning at the Porter County Career and Technical Center.
At SkillsUSA, Buth had four hours to design an environmentally friendly home to match certain specifications. Using Revit software, she got the requirements just before the competition started.
She will study interior architecture and construction management at Indiana State University. Her other activities have included tennis team and technical direction of plays at Boone Grove. She is also active at her church.
Kristen studies CAD & Animation II with teacher Bill Guinee at the Career Center.
SkillsUSA serves more than 320,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skills and service occupations, including health occupations.
The purpose of the SkillsUSA content, Kenning said, is to evaluate each contestant’s preparation for employment and to recognize outstanding students for excellence and professionalism.
Photo: Kristen Buth, Boone Grove High School, is seated. Standing: Hayden Radigan, Valparaiso High School; Nicholas Keleman, Washington Township High School; and Tate Kwiecinski, Chesterton High School.