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.

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.

Registration for the Fall 2025 semester is underway, with classes beginning Aug. 19 for regular and Mini Term I, Flex Start terms begin Aug. 26 and Sept. 2, and Mini Term II classes begin Oct. 16.

For more information, visit www.wallacestate.edu, call Lion Central at 256.352.8236 or come by the Hanceville or Oneonta campus centers. Current and incoming students may schedule an advising session with the Center for Student Success at www.wallacestate.edu/advising.

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About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute as a Rising Star for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.