Wallace State brings home gold and bronze from SkillsUSA competition

HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State Community College students returned from the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference with three gold medals and two bronze medals.

“Competing — and winning — at the national level in such diverse and demanding fields shows the strength of our programs and the bright future ahead for these talented individuals,” said Jerry Murcks, dean of applied technologies at Wallace State. “This year’s achievements are especially meaningful given the heightened level of competition. Our students rose to the challenge, demonstrating resilience, skill and professionalism on a national stage. We’re proud of their accomplishments and the continued excellence of our programs.”

Leslie Rushing of Crane Hill received a gold medal in Esthetics, while Zach Hudson of Hanceville and Isaac Daniel of Holly Pond also took the top spot on the podium for their efforts in the Mobile Robotics Technology category.

Chaden Hill of Eva and Jennfer Jester of Cullman each brought home bronze medals in Electronics Technology and Technical Computer Applications, respectively.

This was the second year Wallace State students won the gold in both Esthetics and Mobile Robotics Technology. Hudson, Daniel and Jester were all repeat contestants at this year’s national competition.

Medal winners from Wallace State Community College at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference include from left, Leslie Rushing, Chaden Hill, Jennifer Jester and Isaac Daniel. Not pictured is Zach Hudson. (Wallace State)

All the medalists advanced to the national competition held last week in Atlanta by earning gold medals in their categories at the 2025 Alabama SkillsUSA Leadership Conference, Championships and Career Expo held in Mobile in April.