West Valley students earn certificates at SkillsUSA Championships

Eight career and technical education students from the West Valley earned national Skill Point Certificates at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta.

The honors were awarded to a select group of competitors who met strict proficiency thresholds during the SkillsUSA Championships, which drew an all-time high of 7,000 state-level champions from across the country.

The local certificate recipients include:

• Gabriel Gonzalez and Christian O'Sullivan from the West-MEC SW Campus in Buckeye, recognized in Mechatronics.
• Gracelyn Cano, Bryden Thomas, Rodrigo Martinez, Jocelyn Johnson, Bailey Matteson, and Carley Wright from Estrella Foothills High School in Goodyear, recognized in Chapter Business Procedure.

To qualify for the national stage, students were required to win their respective state competitions. The finals featured 115 hands-on career and leadership contests judged by more than 2,000 industry experts.

"This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates SkillsUSA at its finest," said SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis. "Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels."