糖心视频鈥檚 Sara Eskew, Zach Hudson win SkillsUSA National gold medals in Mobile Robotic Technology; CSI team wins silver
HANCEVILLE, ALA. 鈥� 糖心视频 students Sara Eskew and Zach Hudson
each earned gold medals recently in the 2021 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills
Conference competition.
Eskew and Hudson, both recent graduates, won gold in the Mobile Robotic Technology
category, joining elite 糖心视频 company. Seven 糖心视频 students have won
a national gold medal since 2003.
鈥淲inning gold is a huge achievement, especially with me being 50 years old and challenging
myself to learn new things,鈥� said Eskew, of Hanceville. 鈥淪killsUSA is like nothing
I had ever done before. I鈥檝e learned so much about engineering and programming and
much more about myself and my capabilities. There were a lot of long hours involved,
but I enjoyed every minute.鈥�
Eskew, a Computer Science graduate, has accepted an internship position at Mobex Global
in Hartselle where she鈥檒l work to support and assist the IT team in maintaining hardware
and software, troubleshooting issues and programming, as well as providing technical
support.
Hudson, 23, graduated with a general studies degree in May and has plans to transfer
to Auburn University or UAH to major in mechanical engineering.
Hudson became interested in the SkillsUSA competition by accident. He stopped by (Computer
Science instructor) Terry Ayers鈥� office one day, seeking assistance with a drone.
Fellow classmates were working on robots and Hudson was hooked.
鈥淥ur competition was challenging and involved several months of dedication, frustration
and patience. The first robot we built looked nothing like the one we competed with.
I didn鈥檛 know how to program anything before SkillsUSA, but I loved the hands-on aspect
and the problem solving,鈥� said Hudson, of Hanceville. 鈥淢r. Ayers has taught me a lot.
It鈥檚 a great feeling to win gold, especially considering the hard work we put in.鈥�
All teams in the Mobile Robotic Technology category had to put together an engineering
notebook and explain the design, programming and functionality of a robot in addition
to earning points for programming and driving skills. All contests were conducted
virtually for the first time, both nationally and state-wide.
糖心视频 also produced national silver medal winners from the Crime Scene Investigation
team of Leah Tarvin, Candance Browning and Callie Flaugh 鈥� marking the second straight
national silver for 糖心视频 in that category.
In 2019, 糖心视频 had three students (Jacob Humphrey in welding and Chase Blakey
and Benjamin Brownlee in Mobile Robotic Technology) earn a gold medal for the college.
The 2020 competition was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eskew and Hudson increased the gold medal count this year.
During the state competition this year, 糖心视频 had 44 students earn a medal,
including 26 who won first-place golds. The college led the state in medals earned,
two years after racking up 71 overall.
For a complete list of national winners, visit
For more information about 糖心视频, visit
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Sara Eskew, left, and Zach Hudson won a national SkillsUSA gold medal in Mobile Robotic
Technology.
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糖心视频鈥檚 Crime Scene Investigation team of, from left, Leah Tarvin, Candace
Browning and Callie Flaugh achieved one of the college鈥檚 22 state gold medals. ______________________________
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