ATLANTA – Burrillville High School students returned from the 60th Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference with “outstanding” results, according to construction management teacher and SkillsUSA advisor Christopher Pilling – including first-place and third-place national medals.
The 2025 NLSC, held Monday, June 23 through Friday, June 27 in Georgia, is the largest workforce development event in the nation. Qualifying for the national stage places students among their top career and technical education peers across the country.
This year’s event featured more than 18,000 participants, educators, and industry partners and 114 skill and leadership competitions.
It was Burrillville High School’s 5th year taking part in SkillsUSA, with 34 students participating in the state-level competition. To qualify for the national competition in Georgia, students must earn a first-place medal at the Rhode Island State Championships in their respective category.
In 2025, 11 from Burrillville earned the state gold, with a team of three going on to secure the school’s first national gold medal.
BHS students won the national gold medal in the Career Pathways Showcase Industrial Engineering and Technology division. The team pictured above, included Ben Pina, Sean Zanella and Wyatt Wayland.
Securing third place in Robotics, Urban Search and Rescue, were Logan Gomez and Ace Marengo.
Sixth place in Emergency Medical Technician went to Olivia Ferraro and Avery Johnson.
Jessary Cedar, Spencer Wayland and Ellah McCarthy took 17th Place in Chapter Display.
Josh Cookson took 29th Place in Cabinetmaking.
The event featured more than 1,200 expert judges and 800 sponsors, and had an estimated $32.3 million in economic impact on Atlanta.
Families and supporters are invited to follow SkillsUSA Burrillville on Facebook and Instagram to view photos from the conference.
“While the photos tell part of the story, there is truly nothing like experiencing the scale and energy of the event in person,” said Pilling.
Students also took part in the SkillsUSA TECHSPO, the nation’s largest trade show for career and technical education.
“These students competed against thousands of their peers from across the country in career and technical education contests, demonstrating not only exceptional skill but also professionalism, teamwork, and resilience,” said Pilling. “Their success is a testament to the strength of our community and the power of hands-on learning to prepare young people for the workforce.”
