February 24, 2026
Gainesville, GA— Annually, Lanier Technical College’s best and brightest compete in the Georgia Post-Secondary State SkillsUSA Competitions. During the week of February 16, 2026, competitors from around the State of Georgia met at the Georgia World Congress Center to compete in many of the high-demand career-based academic programs offered by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
In all, Lanier Technical College had 29 students place in either the Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal categories. Their names and competitions are as follows:
| Competition | Student Name | Program of Study | Advisor | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Additive Manufacturing | Andrea Capsamun
Jason Mendoza Blanco |
Engineering Technology | Jody Brookshire | 2 Gold | ||
| Automotive Refinishing | Jonathan Rabadon | Automotive Technology | Damien Anderson | 1 Silver | ||
| Career and Technical Educator | Anastasia Miller | Radiology | Erika Bongart | 1 Gold | ||
| Career Pathways | Shelby Colbaugh
Ada Victoria Bode Ginger Forrest |
HIMT | Annette Baker
Lilia Vargas |
3 Gold | ||
| CNC 3-Axis | Hayden Glaser | Precision Machining & Manufacturing | Tommy Morris | 1 Gold | ||
| Collision Damage Appraisal | Deanna Lewis | Automotive Technology | Damien Anderson | 1 Gold | ||
| Collision Repair | Kaelan Merlowe | Automotive Technology | Damien Anderson | 1 Gold | ||
| Diesel Technology | Jaelen Chavez
Jackson Vandegriff Jonathan Zeches Beguiristian |
Diesel Technology | Lon Phillips | 1 silver – Paul Beguiristian
1 bronze – Jonathan Zeches |
||
| Extemporaneous Speaking | Asa Walden | Radiology Technology | Erika Bongart | 1 Bronze | ||
| Firefighting | Phillip Carlyle
Sawyer Mote Jared Mullis |
Firefighting | Karen Nowakowski | 1 Silver – Sawyer Mote
1 Bronze – Phillip Carlyle |
||
| Health Knowledge Bowl | Marley Bowen
Marlee Mitchell Yarely Reyes Clarice Reki Brown |
Radiology
Technology |
Erika Bongart | 4 Silver | ||
| Job Interview | Aaron Castellano | Radiology Technology | Erika Bongart | 1 Silver | ||
| Marine Service Technology | Dan Beck
Camden McCreary Samual Rubiano Jayden Smith
|
Marine Service Technology | Hans Metz | 1 Gold – Jayden Smith
1 Silver – Samual Rubiano 1 Bronze – Camden McCreary |
||
| Mechatronics | Leonardo Cervantes
Luis Del Rio
|
Industrial Motor Control | Alicia Emrick | 2 Bronze | ||
| Medical Terminology | Hannah Colvin
Sydney Henline Abigail Morales Bryn Reitler |
Radiology Technology | Erika Bongart | 1 Silver – Sydney Henline | ||
| Pin Design | Katie O’Sullivan | Radiology Technology | Erika Bongart | No Medal | ||
| Prepared Speech | Benjamin McCaleb | Radiology Technology | Erika Bongart | 1 Gold | ||
| Robotics & Automation | Angel Melendez
Jorge Meza |
Industrial Motor Control | Luis Melendez | 2 Gold | ||
| Welding | Liam Horne | Welding | Nicole Harkins | No Medal | ||
| Chapter of Excellence – Level 2 | Chapter of Distinction – Gold | |||||
| Quality Chapter | Quality Chapter |
Total Medal Count: 29
Gold: 13
Silver: 10
Bronze: 6
Quality Chapter and Chapter of Distinction – Gold
Entered 23 contests and medaled in 21.
The gold medal recipients will go on to compete at the National SkillsUSA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, during the month of June 2026. Gold Medal recipients from the National Conference in June will then be known nationally for excellence in their chosen profession.
About the Technical College System of Georgia
The 22 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) are Georgia’s top resource for skilled workers. TCSG offers world-class training in more than 600 associate degree, diploma, and certificate programs to students who are trained on state-of-the-art equipment by instructors who are experts in their fields. The system also houses Georgia’s Office of Adult Education, which promotes and provides adult literacy and education programs, including the GED® testing program, throughout the state. In addition, TCSG partners with companies through Quick Start, the nation’s top customized workforce training program, and through its colleges, which work with local industry to provide workforce and training solutions. For more information, visit TCSG.edu.
