Collision Student Claims National Gold Metal for STC

Brandon Nelsen, a student in STC’s Collision Repair and Refinish program, earned a gold metal at the national Skills USA competition, held in Atlanta, Ga., June 19-23.

Nelsen was one of three STC students that went to the national competition. Edward Stefanyuk competed in the Plumbing competition and received 8th place for his efforts. Daniel Battermann competed in Automotive Refinish Technology competition and received 25^th.

Jason Merritt, STC’s Dean of Curriculum and Instruction for the trades, says that the collision contests at Skills USA are extremely competitive.

“I’ve been involved with Skills USA for more than 20 years in two different states, and gold metals at the national level don’t happen every day. This is a great accomplishment,” said Merritt.

At the national contest, there were around 6,400 high school and post-secondary students competing in 110 different competitions. Twenty-two contestants were from South Dakota. Of those, seven earned metals.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our STC students,” said Automotive Technology instructor and SkillsUSA advisor, Terry Prouty. “Skills USA is just an all-around excellent experience for these young adults. In addition to the competition, this group had a great time and the opportunity to attend leadership and social events throughout the week.”

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