Illinois students bring home medals from SkillsUSA national conference
Illinois students have once again claimed national championships, earned bragging rights against the best skilled young competitors across the county and taken a major step forward in their career success.
Nearly four dozen students from SkillsUSA Illinois finished in the medalist top three spots at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC), held June 23–27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga.
Illinois students brought home 38 medals, including 11 gold, 15 silver, and 12 bronze.
“These gold medalists are national champions in their craft, and they represent the future of our skilled workforce,” said SkillsUSA Illinois Executive Director Eric Hill. “We’re proud of every single competitor, and especially proud that Illinois continues to grow its presence on the national stage.”
A complete list of all SkillsUSA Illinois top-three finishers by region is included below and also available here.
More details on the NLSC—including livestreams of the awards ceremony, behind-the-scenes footage, and media resources—are available at www.nlsc.skillsusa.org.
All of the SkillsUSA Illinois first competed at local and regional levels, then advanced to the State Championships in Peoria in late April. Illinois brought more than 300 students from the State Championships to Atlanta for the national competition.
Like the State Championships, the national competition tests students’ skills and preparation as the culmination of a year of hands-on career and technical education (CTE). Industry partners, trade associations and labor organizations volunteer to judge competitions where students lay bricks, repair engines, practice hairdressing and much more against the clock and their counterparts from schools across Illinois, and ultimately across the country.
SkillsUSA programming is supported by a state grant under the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship program awarded through the Youth Workforce Development Foundation, the managing arm of SkillsUSA Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker again approved millions of dollars in the state budget that took effect in July for the program and related investments in career and technical education, and SkillsUSA Illinois expects to continue expanding its successful programming into new schools and communities starting this fall.
For SkillsUSA Illinois’ leadership, the Atlanta visit is a chance to both celebrate students’ hard work and the exciting progress Illinois is making to invest in young people’s career success.
“SkillsUSA is more than competition,” said Hill. “It’s about preparing students for careers, closing the skills gap, and giving young people a reason to believe in themselves—and in Illinois.”
SkillsUSA Illinois National Medalists – 2025 Top 3 Finishers by Region
Metro East
- Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville)
- Paul Woods, AJ Gniotczynski, Andrew Blackwood – Automated Manufacturing Technology – Silver
- Jared Simmons – CNC Programmer – Silver
Central Illinois
- Heartland Community College (Normal)
- Nick Mock, Matthew Marciniak – Mechatronics – Silver
- Illinois Central College (East Peoria)
- Zane Scott – Information Technology Services – Bronze
- Galesburg Area Vocational Center (Galesburg)
- Liam Dilley – Related Technical Math – Gold
North Suburbs
- College of Lake County (Grayslake)
- Dylan Kozarzewski – Collision Repair Technology – Bronze
- Briana Lugo-Marquez, Lindsey Clements, Zulma Mendoza – Crime Scene Investigation – Bronze
- Johnathan Gomez – Culinary Arts – Bronze
- Marengo Community High School (Marengo)
- Mary Schirmer – Automotive Refinishing Technology – Bronze
Northern Illinois
- Grundy Area Vocational Center (Morris)
- Mackenzie Enger – Early Childhood Education – Silver
South Suburbs
- Bloom Trail High School (Chicago Heights)
- Diya Patel – Medical Assisting – Gold
- Homewood-Flossmoor High School (Flossmoor)
- Charley Dieringer – CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer – Silver
- Lockport Township High School (Lockport)
- Samuel Drong, Gavin Leone, Stephen Reuter – Engineering Technology-Design – Gold
- Duncan Kenney Benson – Technical Drafting – Silver
- Peotone Junior High School (Peotone)
- Logan Cowger, Shane Lynch – Additive Manufacturing – Silver
West Suburbs
- Metea Valley High School (Aurora)
- Sameera Waghmare, Saanvi Gupta, Kashish Upadhyay, Tiana Prem – Entrepreneurship – Silver
- Oswego High School (Oswego)
- Katelyn Thilk – Baking and Pastry Arts – Bronze
- Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove)
- Aleah Sauder – Automotive Refinishing Technology – Gold
- Joshua Stover – Automotive Service Technology – Gold
- Benjamin Swanson – Collision Damage Appraisal – Bronze
- Briana Harris, Sarah Pawlus, Kevin Bustamante Fontanel, Ennis Ballines – Entrepreneurship – Gold
- West Aurora High School (Aurora)
- Ava Unold, Jayden Crete, Tyler Pozzi – Automated Manufacturing Technology – Bronze
About SkillsUSA Illinois
SkillsUSA Illinois is a state and national membership association serving high school, college, and middle school students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, including health occupations, and for further education.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student excel.
Visit SkillsUSA Illinois online: https://www.skillsusaillinois.org/
About SkillsUSA Illinois and its mission: https://www.skillsusaillinois.org/about-us
Calendar of events and programs: https://www.skillsusaillinois.org/events
For interested educators: https://www.skillsusaillinois.org/educators
For interested students: https://www.skillsusaillinois.org/students
Videos of recent SkillsUSA events:
