Greenville Technical College Auto Body Repair student Sterling Elrod placed tenth in the national SkillsUSA Championships held in Louisville, Ky. June 24-28.
Elrod qualified for the national competition in Collision Repair Technology with a first place finish at the state level. A former Marine, Elrod will graduate from Greenville Tech in August with a certificate in applied science in Auto Body Repair. Thanks to this national placement, Elrod shares he also landed employment following graduation.
“I enrolled at Greenville Tech after four years of active duty with the Marines and wanted to do something I enjoyed, and I have always been involved with cars since I was little -- whether it was high-performance applications or full-on restorations,” said Elrod. “I was able to take everything I learned in the Marines and apply it to my studies, such as a hard work ethic, an understanding of how to follow procedures and constantly pushing myself to live outside of my comfort zone. With the help of Greenville Tech's extremely knowledgeable instructors, I strived to get my work done in a speedy but proficient manner and doing so has provided me multiple great opportunities like SkillsUSA. My national ranking then afforded me the greatest opportunity to join the team of Carolina Collision Equipment after earning a certificate this coming August.”
Amy Leonardo also represented Greenville Technical College at the national competition, earning a 26th place finish in Automotive Refinishing Technology. To qualify for nationals, Leonardo won first in the state competition held earlier this year. She graduated in May with an associate of applied science in Auto Body Repair and is now employed as a damage appraiser at Fairway Auto Body in Greenville.
The annual SkillsUSA Championships brings together more than 6,500 outstanding career and technical education students that compete in timed, skilled exercises in 102 different trade, technical, and leadership fields. SkillsUSA is the national organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education.
Auto Body Repair Instructor Eden Mays placed third in the nation in Automotive Refinishing Technology when she competed in 2016 as a Greenville Tech student. Mays currently advises GTC students who qualify for the national competition and led the delegates to the Kentucky competition this year.
“We’re very proud of our students’ experience and performance at the state and national level,” said Brian Easler, GTC transportation department head. “SkillsUSA provides an opportunity for the best to shine. It provides a sense of accomplishment and keeps all abreast of current industry practices – both our instructional staff and students benefit from the competition.”
To learn more about the SkillsUSA Championships, visit www.skillsusa.org.
To learn more about the Auto Body Repair program at Greenville Technical College, visit www.gvltec.edu/autobody/ or call (864) 250-8304.