In keeping with university tradition, UVU has once again ranked No. 1 at the annual State of Utah SkillsUSA Championships, garnering the most gold medals by a significant margin in the career and technical education contest.
In keeping with university tradition, Utah Valley University (UVU) has once again ranked No. 1 at the annual State of Utah SkillsUSA Championships, garnering the most gold medals by a significant margin in the career and technical education contest.
The competition, held from March 21-24, brought UVU 22 gold medals, totaling 37 medals for the school in a variety of industries from computer programming and mechatronics to culinary arts and additive manufacturing. The first and second runners-up totaled 25 and 20 medals, respectively.
The win also takes the gold-medal-winning students to Atlanta to participate in the SkillsUSA Nationals held from June 19-23. UVU SkillsUSA director and professor of architecture and engineering design Darin Taylor expressed his gratitude that, despite UVU’s university status, the school remains at the forefront in the state in fields of trade, technical skills, and industry.
“It's interesting to hear that many in the community think that since we've gone to a university, we're just a traditional research institution — and we are not,” Taylor said. “[This win] proves that our technology programs are very alive and well, because we're coming out and beating all the other universities in the state, including all the technical colleges.”
“There is absolutely no question we couldn't get this done with quality students,” Taylor added, “but also the common denominator in all these wins is that same group of faculty in the same departments year after year after year.”
UVU Gold Medal Winners (State Champions):
