UVU’s College of Engineering & Technology boasts five gold medalist students

OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University (UVU) students continued their success at the national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, Georgia last week. UVU earned five national championship gold medals, three silver, and one bronze. The eight medals tie UVU for first place in the country in postsecondary colleges and universities. More than 6,500 students from all 50 states plus Puerto Rico competed in over 100 categories from cybersecurity to commercial baking and audio/radio production.

“Our continued success at SkillsUSA speaks volumes about the quality of students, faculty, curriculum, and state-of-the-art programs we have at UVU,” said Darin Taylor, UVU SkillsUSA Director and professor of engineering design technology. “Winning a national medal at SkillsUSA brings validation that we are teaching up-to-date methods and techniques. Our students know they are some of the best in the nation and are going to be productive on their very first day on the job. They will also become the leaders and experts in their respective fields of study.”

Much like the Olympics, SkillsUSA is based on an overall ranking determined by the total medal count earned during the national competition. Over the last 21 years, UVU has consistently been ranked among the top five in the nation.

UVU 2022 SkillsUSA National Champions:

  • Lindsey Barker, Architectural Drafting (Gold)
  • Brigg Edwards, Cabinetry & Architectural Woodwork (Gold)
  • Alex Marcum & Joseph Walker, Mechatronics Team (Gold)
  • Laura Richardson, Technical Drafting (Gold)
  • Ashton Young, Computer Programming (Silver)
  • Paul Christensen, Firefighting (Silver)
  • Dan Edlund & Toria Edwards van Muijen, Robotics & Automation Technology Team (Silver)
  • Benjamin Collier & Dallin Hansen, Additive Manufacturing Team (Bronze)

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry professionals working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. A nonprofit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle school, high school, and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 333,527 students and instructors annually. Including alumni, SkillsUSA membership totals over 394,000. SkillsUSA has served nearly 14 million annual members cumulatively since 1965 and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor as a successful model of employer-driven workforce development.

Photo 1—UVU Gold Medal Winner Brigg Edwards, Cabinetry.

Photo 2—UVU Competitor Eloise Clayton, Commercial Baking.

Photo 3—Competitors in the Audio-Radio Production

Photo 4—UVU Silver Medal Winning Team, Toria Edwards van Muijen & Daniel Edlund, Robotics & Automation Technology

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About the College of Engineering & Technology at Utah Valley University

The mission of the College of Engineering & Technology (CET) is to prepare students for successful careers or advanced study in a dynamic, technology-based, global environment. CET houses 11 departments consisting of areas in engineering, technology, computer science, aviation, and digital media. Offered digital media degrees include digital cinema production, digital audio production, animation & game development, and web design & development.