Nursing Student Wins Bronze in National SkillsUSA Competition

#1404 | July 25, 2013

Shondai Dunbar-Williams won bronze in Nurse Assisting when she represented Savannah Tech and the State of Georgia in the Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Competition, in Kansas City, Mo., in June 2013.

SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College student Shondai Dunbar-Williams won the bronze award at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference for Nurse Assisting. The win came after competing at the state level, where she won gold. At the national level she competed with six other students in front of a panel of judges.

SkillsUSA is an annual competition where industry leaders representing more than 1,100 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions recognized students for their demonstrated excellence in 98 hands-on occupational and leadership contests.

Dunbar-Williams, who is studying practical nursing at Savannah Tech, was unaware that she would place, “After competing I was not expecting to place – so to place and be acknowledged and awarded made me feel accomplished.”

SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that annually serves more than 320,000 high school, college and postsecondary students-and their instructors-in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs. The competition is held annually for students who have honed their skills to compete on a national level which allows students to see the success and how far their education is taking them.

“Being in the SkillsUSA competition was a very humbling experience,” said Dunbar-Williams. “There is so much that I learned about myself and what I have to offer the world. After experiencing SkillsUSA I know now that it is us, the ones who choose community or technical college to pick up a trade and go straight into the workforce, that make the difference.”

Savannah Tech Health Science Instructor Kissiah Moore, knew the full potential Dunbar-Williams possessed, “Shondai stood out amongst her peers by demonstrating her knowledge and skills exceptionally,” said Moore who is also her Skills USA advisor. “Her participation in class in in clinical demonstrate her ability to compete at the state level (winning gold) and national level (winning bronze). Shondai took this competition seriously, and that is why she won.”

Moore also pointed out that participating in competitions such as SkillsUSA shows students the importance of being prepared with skills in a chosen field. The competition “increases a personal responsibility, professionalism and commitment to the job. SkillsUSA prepares students to hone in on their skills and find a whole new level of preparedness.”

Dunbar-Williams was accepted into the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program at the Liberty campus in January 2013 and will complete the program in December.

Savannah Technical College’s nursing program has had an average 92.4% National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) passing rate for the last two years and is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN). This competitive admission nursing program prepares graduates to pass the NCLEX-PN to test to be an LPN and work in doctor’s offices, for the health department or for nursing homes. For more information on the LPN and other Health Science programs visit: Savannahtech.edu/Health_Sciences.

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Health Sciences Academic Advisor: Cindy Cole
912.443.5721 or ccole@savannahtech.edu

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu