Casper College students score gold at 2025 SkillsUSA Wyoming Championships
L-r: Jackson Berg, Chloe Pruitt, and Ashur Logan work together on a team project during the 2025 SkillsUSA Wyoming State Competition in Casper. The three won gold in the welding fabrication event. (Casper College photo/Rachel Chadderdon)
Casper College students earned top honors at the 2025 SkillsUSA Wyoming State Competition and will head to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference June 23-27 in Atlanta. In Atlanta, students from throughout the United States compete against one another in both teams and individually across a wide range of career and technical fields.
Casper College students won nine gold medals across competitions in automated manufacturing, technical drafting, architectural drafting, welding fabrication, electrical construction wiring, and more. These outstanding achievements underscore the college’s deep commitment to hands-on learning, industry readiness, and student success.
“We are absolutely thrilled that our talented students have qualified for the SkillsUSA national competition in Atlanta,” said Rachel Chadderdon, dean for the Casper College School of Business and Industry. “This is a true reflection of their hard work and commitment, as well as the outstanding quality of our programs and the dedication of our exceptional instructors at Casper College.”
Automated Manufacturing Team Takes Gold
The trio of Vince Acquistapace, Sam Jones, and Jake Probst won gold in the automated manufacturing competition.
“The automated manufacturing team is a dream team,” said Paul Brutsman, engineering technology and design instructor. “They all have skills that allow them to work in parallel as a team to complete a project with a time-intensive deadline. They finished their project with four minutes to spare, beating several other community colleges. I am amazed and proud of their efforts in and outside the classroom.”
Acquistapace is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in manufacturing and automation technology and a machine tool technology certificate. Acquistapace works at Hoerbiger Service Inc.
Probst, a 2025 graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in manufacturing and automation technology, works as a fabricator at NOV Inc.
Jones is a 2025 graduate with an Associate of Applied Science and a certificate in machine tool technology. He also earned a bronze in CNC Programmer. According to Brutsman, Jones has completed several classes in the engineering technology and design program in addition to his courses for his major. He works at Mesa Solutions as a CNC machinist in the engine rebuilding department.
Drafting Students Excel in Design Competitions
Two Associate of Applied Science engineering technology and design majors, Hannah Kerkes and Rachel Adamson, both earned gold — Kerkes in technical drafting and Adamson in architectural drafting.
Kerkes is on track to graduate in May 2026 and works as a CAD operator in the engineering department of High Country Fabrication. “Hannah is an excellent student who is not afraid to push the envelope, said Brutsman. “Her enthusiasm for SolidWorks 3D solid modeling and design (software) is abundant. She has many talents and is a great asset to our department.”
Adamson graduated in May and, according to Jason Eggemeyer, has worked for West Plains Engineering. “Rae came to the engineering technology and design department looking for a career change from the medical field,” said Eggemeyer, engineering technology and design instructor. “She is incredibly driven, with a strong work ethic and creativity, making this the perfect field for her. We call it work, but for Rae, this competition was a chance to have fun — and that says everything,” he added.
Welding Team Builds on High School Success
Jackson Berg, Chloe Pruitt, and Ashur Logan won the gold in the welding fabrication event. Each contestant is a Casper College student and has gained welding knowledge through enrollment in other programs.
According to Eggemeyer, while a student at Kelly Walsh High School and the Pathways Innovation Center, Berg competed in the individual welding contest and won the state high school welding competition three out of four years. Berg plans to graduate from Casper College with an Associate of Science in construction management in May 2026 and continue in the B.S. construction management program at the University of Wyoming.
Pruitt also learned to weld as a student at KWHS and P.I.C. In the fall of 2024, she completed an AWS D1.1 welding certification at Laramie County Community College. She then returned to Casper to start the Associate of Science construction management degree program at Casper College.
Logan followed the same path, learning to weld at Natrona County High School and P.I.C. He is now working on his Associate of Science in construction management while employed at Tri Mountain Homes in construction management.
“Jackson, Chloe, and Ashur… WOW! What a team! These three knew each other from high school, but this was their first time working on a project as a team,” said Eggemeyer. Their performance is a shining example of the impact our high school career and technical education programs can have.”
Electrical Student Involved in Dual Enrollment Program
Michael Baker, a recent Kelly Walsh High School graduate, won the gold in electrical construction wiring. While attending high school, Baker was concurrently enrolled in Casper College’s electrical apprenticeship certificate classes held at the Pathways Innovation Center — the first time that the college’s dual enrollment electrical classes have been offered at the center.
Baker will be working full-time for a master electrician this summer while continuing his electrical apprenticeship classes in the evenings this fall at Casper College. While in high school, Baker took advantage of concurrent enrollment career and technical education classes at P.I.C., including carpentry and welding.
“Michael, along with all of the electrical apprentice students in the P.I.C. class, put in over 12 hours per week of class time toward their electrical apprenticeship. Thanks to the success of students like Michael, Casper College plans to continue offering the first year of electrical apprenticeship classes at the P.I.C. campus, said Quintin Leclercq, electronics instructor.
Celebrating Industry Support
“We want to give a huge thank you to the sponsors who provided prizes for the medal winners,” said Brutsman. For the Automated Manufacturing, Technical Drafting, Architectural Drafting, CNC Programming, and Manual Machining categories, the sponsors included Moser Energy, McGinley Innovations, Compression Leasing, Oil City Machine, I.P.A. Machining, Terrell Machine, and Wyoming Machinery.
Welding sponsors included Pacific Steel, Wyoming Steel and Recycling Inc., Peabody, Gillette Steel, Welding and Machine, Lincoln Electric, Airgas, Navajo Energy, Austin Engineering, and Kustom Koncepts. The electrical wiring sponsors were CED, WESCO, and Rexel.
According to SkillsUSA, SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference is the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce and the ultimate recognition of excellence in career and technical education. The event brings together more than 17,500 attendees, including students, instructors, industry partners, government officials, administrators, and more. The highlight of the SkillsUSA Championships is when more than 6,500 state champions compete for national gold, silver, and bronze medals in 114 skilled and leadership competitions.