Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Cooking Julia Spondike’s love for all things cooking stems from her grandmother’s legacy. “I loved hearing of my grandmas and great grandmas always being in the kitchen. My dad’s stories made my heart leap out of my chest with compassion and interest for the world of food.” Fascinated…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Graphic Design Anthony Moore has always been a creative person. But it was at the LISD Tech Center that Anthony was introduced to graphics and began building the necessary skills to become a graphic designer. “That program opened up the world of graphic design and all the possibilities…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in CNC Milling After discovering CNC milling at his local T.E.C. school, Scott fell in love with the trade and, in his words, “it all snowballed from there.” “I love that my skill allows me to create nearly anything one can imagine. The more you perfect your skill in…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Car Painting Having been passionate about cars his whole life, Dylan Wertz obtained his passion for car painting through countless hours of practice with his high school collision repair teacher, Carl Rusch. “Mr. Rusch was a mentor in my life whose dedication to put in extra time with…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Cabinetmaking Ethan Harrison loves to build things and work with his hands. Inspired by this—and a simple wood drafting class he took in middle school—he enrolled in cabinetmaking as a sophomore in high school and discovered his talent for the craft. His instructor, Peter Golinveaux, was the first…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Bricklaying Kelby Thornton always played in the dirt and gravel as a child. As he grew older and helped his dad with landscaping projects, Kelby knew that he wanted to work in the construction field. “I was given the opportunity to take a masonry class as a freshman…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Bakery Since he was a young boy, Daylan Torres gravitated toward the kitchen. “There was something that would always catch my eye. I pretended to make ‘soups’ in my grandparents’ back yard out of whatever leaves, weeds and twigs I could scrounge up.” Daylan began to truly discover…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Automobile Technology When Paul Danenberg was in high school, his father bought a 1968 Ford Thunderbird so they could have an opportunity to fix it up together. “I wanted to know how to work on it on my own – not just through the step-by-step instruction from my…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Auto Body Repair Working on “essentially anything with a motor” from a very young age, DJ Fors has been fixing cars for years with the help of his father and a family friend. “A good friend of my father was a master tech at a dealership and ran…
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Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Aircraft Maintenance Alex Millikan has been interested in automobiles for as long as he can remember, but he didn’t become interested in aircraft maintenance until his junior year of high school. When he signed up for the U.S. Air Force Reserves, he discovered his passion and it has…
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