Nassau BOCES Students Earn Top Honors At SkillsUSA Regional Conference

Thirty-nine students from Nassau BOCES career and technical education programs earned top honors at the New York State Regional SkillsUSA Conference, held at Suffolk County Community College.

Students from Barry Tech, GC Tech, and Long Island High School for the Arts placed across a range of competitions, with eight first-place finishes, fourteen second-place placements, and seventeen third-place recognitions.

The SkillsUSA Regional Conference is part of a national series of events focused on developing workforce readiness through technical, leadership, and professional competitions. Students who place at the regional level advance to the State Conference in Syracuse, with top performers continuing to the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta.

First Place Winners

Luca DiRusso (Massapequa UFSD), Electrical Construction Wiring Competition; Aidan Lehmann (East Meadow UFSD), Automotive Service Technology Competition; Cindy Martinez (Great Neck UFSD), Aviation Flight Competition; AndaLucia Navetta (Wantagh UFSD), Digital Cinema Competition; Amy (Jazzi) Phillips (Port Washington UFSD), Advertising Design Competition; Ashley Ruiz (Westbury UFSD), Criminal Justice Competition; Alessia Surolich (Valley Stream CHSD), Digital Cinema Competition; and Novalee Tung (Great Neck UFSD), Fashion Design Competition.

Second Place Winners

Isabella Bonano (Levittown UFSD), Bronx Burke (Westbury UFSD), Alexa Byers (Carle Place UFSD), Cooper Cannon (Lynbrook UFSD), Anthony Cruz Ramos (Baldwin UFSD), Ranssua Jimenez (Great Neck UFSD), Tagan Moran (Levittown UFSD), Liam Mugford (Baldwin UFSD), Avauna Munlin (Hempstead UFSD), Kingsley Ngitngif (Syosset CSD), Estefany Rivera (Hempstead UFSD), Jefferson Rivera (Jericho UFSD), Madeleine Ruiz (Oyster Bay-East Norwich UFSD), and BreeAnna Toro (Rockville Centre UFSD), competing across categories including audio production, digital cinema, carpentry, and medical assisting.

Third Place Winners

Abdullah Arain (Hicksville UFSD), Nayah Coicou (Freeport UFSD), Alina Cooper (Elwood UFSD), James Curran (Massapequa UFSD), Robert Fekete (Bellmore-Merrick CHSD), Nora Gaulrapp (Carle Place UFSD), Kate Hillman (Garden City UFSD), Caeli Mugno (Levittown UFSD), Anthony Rampino (Bellmore-Merrick CHSD), Maria Vanegas (Hempstead UFSD), and Sarah Wallis (Levittown UFSD), among others, earned third-place honors across a variety of technical and performance-based competitions.

Quiz Bowl Team

The Quiz Bowl team included Kishen Doergamisier, Logan Mora-Parkes, Matthew Rivas, William Scales, Matthew Silvestro, and Thomas Smith, representing GC Tech programs in automotive technology, HVAC, and construction electric.

SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, educators, and industry leaders that promotes technical training, leadership development, and career readiness. The program is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as a model for workforce development.