May 8, 2026

Students from Challenger Early College High School recently earned top honors at the 2026 SkillsUSA North Carolina Championships, bringing home multiple first, second, and third-place finishes in one of the state’s largest showcases of Career and Technical Education.

Held April 15–17 in Greensboro, the annual conference welcomed more than 3,100 students from across North Carolina to compete in over 140 hands-on technical, leadership, and career-focused events at the Greensboro Coliseum and Koury Convention Center.

Students from Challenger Early College, who participate through the Catawba Valley Community College SkillsUSA Chapter, showcased their talents across a wide range of competitions, including entrepreneurship, prepared speech, technical math, debate, medical math, public speaking, and community service.

Several students earned first-place finishes and will advance to compete at the national SkillsUSA Championships this summer in Atlanta alongside thousands of students from across the country.

Among the first-place winners were:

• Jahdai A. – T-Shirt Design (Secondary)
• Allyson S. – Prepared Speech (Post-Secondary)
• Christopher M. – Related Technical Math (Post-Secondary)
• Riley L., Saarah M., Dhyan P., and Xavier S. – Entrepreneurship (Post-Secondary)
• Ezekiel H., Jin M., Alyson S., Edwin G., Yestin P., and Brayden S. – Entrepreneurship (Post-Secondary)

Additional students earned second, third, fourth, and fifth-place recognitions in competitions including Crime Scene Investigation, Chapter Display, Community Service, Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, Medical Math, Job Skills Open, and Related Technical Math.

During the competition, students demonstrated technical knowledge, leadership abilities, creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills while competing against peers from across the state. Events were judged by industry professionals and aligned to real-world workforce standards.

SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, teachers, and industry leaders focused on preparing students for careers in technical, skilled, and service occupations. The organization serves more than 440,000 student and instructor members nationwide.

Congratulations to all of the Challenger Early College students who represented their school, community, and Catawba County with excellence at this year’s state competition.