Bringing home the gold: WCSCC student wins first place at SkillsUSA National Conference

MORELAND TWP. – Warren Caskey was stuck on a subway train in Atlanta when he got a text message that nearly made him scream out in joy.  

His student, Hannah Schlauch, had just won the gold medal in her competition at the SkillsUSA National Conference.  

Schlauch, who recently graduated from Triway High School, competed against students from across the country and got first place in the practical nursing category.  

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Reflecting on all the things she did at the conference, Schlauch hopes to take all the new skills she learned with her as she balances her new nursing job while attending Aultman College for a bachelor’s degree in nursing. 

What is SkillsUSA and how do you compete in nursing?  

Like FFA, SkillsUSA is a career-technical student organization offered through the Wayne County Schools Career Center that focuses on helping students prepare for entering the workforce after graduation, Caskey said.  

Caskey, who is an adviser for the group as well as a criminal justice teacher at the career center, said the organization does this by offering leadership opportunities and competitions where students can show their skills and get critiques to get better.  

Schlauch joined the organization her junior year and competed in basic health care, placing fourth at nationals, but didn’t win the gold.  

After completing her nursing program at the career center and earning her LPN license, Schlauch competed again this spring and won first place at the state championships in May before advancing to nationals. 

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At these competitions, Schlauch explained that students get to show off the skills they have learned through various written and oral tests. For example, at the national competition Schlauch had to take a written test related to her LPN license and a mock job interview. 

“It’s basically like a knowledge test. Like, how well can you perform your skills? How well can you teach people?” Schlauch said. “... They really do focus on how well you can recite what you know about your trade.”  

More than just a competition and a gold medal 

When Schlauch wasn’t competing, she walked around the rest of the conference and got to see what other trades were doing in their competitions.  

She saw people at the construction competition building houses and cosmetology students doing hair and nail looks and got to meet new people and make new friends from across the country.  

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Having the ability to meet so many people and learn so many new things is something that Schlauch believes has helped her grow as a person and something she credits to the Career Center and the SkillsUSA group. 

When she started, Schlauch said she was terrified to knock on a patient's room.

"Now, I'm like walking in this giant hospital by myself and telling people what we're doing,” Schlauch said. “... It's given me so much more confidence in myself.”  

As Schlauch continues to work toward her goal of becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist, she is looking forward to cheering on future nursing and other career tech students as they compete in future Skills competitions.

Reach Rachel Karas at rkaras@gannett.com   

On Twitter: @RachelKaras3