HTC Press Release

BROOKLYN PARK, MINN. – Hennepin Technical College students won eight first place awards in competition at the 41st SkillsUSA Minnesota State Leadership and Skills Conference held April 4 – 6 at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington. Competition sites included HTC’s Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie campuses and other technical college campuses in Minnesota. HTC students also earned eight second place awards and seven third place awards. The first place winners will participate in competition at the SkillsUSA national skills conference to be held June 23 – 27 in Kansas City. HTC instructors Chad Goodspeed, Paul Howlett and Andy Thul are SkillsUSA campus advisors at the college.

Students at HTC’s Brooklyn Park Campus were winners in the following categories:

Advertising Design

• 1st Place: Emily Ralph

• 2nd Place: Jessica Wegmeyer

• 3rd Place: Wing Yan Benedict Lam

Cabinetmaking

• 1st Place: Justin Van Loo

Carpentry

• 3rd Place: Ryan Speck

Collision Repair Technology

• 1st Place: Matt Hines

Culinary Arts:

• 3rd Place: Emma Hokkanen

Graphic Communications:

• 1st Place: Grace Dunbar

• 2nd Place: Alan Thorson

Job Interview

• 2nd Place: Laura Goldknopf

• 3rd Place: Brenda Lynch

Prepared Speech

• 1st Place: Brenda Lynch

Quiz Bowl

• 2nd Place: Team of: Laura Goldknopf, Michael Latterell, Clint Bistodeau, Andy Muewissen and Sam Webber

Television (Video) Production

• 1st Place: Team of: Lenny Poppenhagen and Kyle Veldhuizen

• 2nd Place: Team of: Laura Goldknopf and Phil Strandquist

• 3rd Place: Team of: Michael Latterell and Pat Gallaher

Students at HTC’s Eden Prairie campus were winners in the following categories:

Architectural Drafting

• 1st Place: Jennifer Neutzman

• 2nd Place: Nathan Jolicoeur

• 3rd Place: Justin Bergerson

Automotive Service Technology

• 1st Place: Norbert Michel

Cabinetmaking

• 2nd Place: Jacob Cardinal

• 3rd Place: Jason Haugen

Carpentry

• 2nd Place: Dustin Hanley

SkillsUSA is the national organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. It sponsors the SkillsUSA Championships annually to recognize the achievements of career and technical education students and to encourage them to strive for excellence and pride in their chosen occupations. Contests begin locally and continue through the state and national levels.

The contests are planned by technical committees made up of representatives of labor and management and are designed to test the skills needed for a successful entry‑level performance in given occupational fields. Safety practices and procedures - an area of great concern to labor and management alike - are judged and graded and constitute a portion of a contestant’s score.

Hennepin Technical College is Minnesota’s largest technical college, serving more than 10,000 students at campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie and a Customized

Training Center in Plymouth. HTC offers more than 45 programs of study, leading to certificates, diplomas, or an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree. The college offers many evening and weekend classes, as well as online courses, to accommodate students’ schedules. To learn more, visit www.hennepintech.edu or call (952) 995-1300.

HTC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system comprised of 32 universities and community and technical colleges serving the higher education needs of Minnesota. The system serves about 240,000 students per year in credit-based courses and an additional 30,000 students in non-credit courses.

Contact HTC at 952-995-1300 or info@hennepintech.edu

Copyright © 2008 by Hennepin Technical College