KATY, TX [April 14, 2025] – Amid stiff competition from across Texas, Katy ISD’s Miller Career and Technology Center (MCTC) students earned nearly two dozen medals at this year’s state SkillsUSA competition. Held this month in Corpus Christi, competing students earned nine first-place medals, 11 second-place medals and three third-place medals, and received two Gold-level Chapter of Excellence honors, in Manufacturing and Education and Film.Three Katy ISD teams were named state champions and have qualified for the national SkillsUSA competition, to be held this June in Atlanta, Georgia, including:
- Automated Manufacturing Technology – Federico Pombo, David Lopez Luzardo and Sanjiv Raja
- Cyber Security – Joey Lent and Benjamin Nasse
- Mechatronics – Jansen Roberts and AlHassan Duamni
“We’re very proud of the results of this year’s state competition, mostly because it shows our students’ continued growth in their respective industries,” said Jeannie Knierim, Career and Technical Education (CTE) director in Katy ISD. “Congratulations to all our state winners and best of luck to our teams heading to nationals.”
In addition to the student honors, MCTC Manufacturing Engineering teacher Dallas Bergstrom was named Advisor of the Year for District 8, which serves all SkillsUSA students and educators in Harris County.
Singular in its mission, SkillsUSA specifically tests students’ knowledge and ability in CTE fields. Established in 1965, the competition assesses skill levels in trade areas comparable to entry-level professionals.