A Chattooga County student was part of a gold medal-winning team as Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 SkillsUSA Georgia State Leadership and Skills Conference, held Feb. 19–21 in Atlanta.

GNTC competitors participated in seven categories and brought home two gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal.

“I am so proud of the accomplishments of our students, they work hard and are provided excellent guidance from their instructors,” said Missy McLain, SkillsUSA advisor for GNTC. “Their success is truly a testament of the great education they are being provided here at GNTC and I am honored to be able to celebrate these successes with them.”

Among the top finishers was Jonah Nuckolls of Chattooga County, who helped lead the TeamWorks group to a gold medal. The TeamWorks championship team also included Caleb Greeson of Dalton, Connor Rowell of Rome, and Jackson Woodard of Calhoun.

Gold medalists will now represent GNTC and the State of Georgia at the national SkillsUSA competition June 1–5 in Atlanta.

Students competed in trade, technical, skilled service and health occupation categories. GNTC sent two teams to the event, with most contestants competing in individual competitions. In total, 20 students represented GNTC at the state conference.

SkillsUSA serves more than 440,000 career and technical education students and instructors annually and has reached over 15 million members since 1965, with chapters in middle schools, high schools and postsecondary institutions nationwide.

2026 GNTC SkillsUSA Medalists

Gold
Janie Ruiz, Customer Service, Rome
TeamWorks: Caleb Greeson, Dalton; Jonah Nuckolls, Chattooga County; Connor Rowell, Rome; Jackson Woodard, Calhoun

Silver
Bryan Hernandez, Carpentry, Dalton
Alexander Monroy, Masonry, Dalton
Timothy Mashburn, Welding, Ringgold
Welding Fabrication: Hunter Pickle, Chatsworth; Brady Pierce, Chatsworth; Parker Shepherd, Dalton

Bronze
Alisha Moss, Job Interview, Cartersville