Five local high school students earn medals in national competitions

121 local students attended national conferences for their respective Career & Technical Student Organizations

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) sent students to national competitions in their respective Career & Technical Student Organization throughout the summer. Five students were named top three finishers and two national champions.

Kofa High School's Lilyan Madrid earned a gold medal in Lesson Planning and Delivery for Career and Technical Education at the Educators Rising national conference in Orlando, Florida.

Cibola High School's Jesus Torres took home a gold medal in Culinary Arts at the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America national conference in Denver, Colorado.

YUHSD said while Madrid was finishing up her competition, Torres was starting his journey towards a national championship in Denver.

“Taking in the moment of actually being at Nationals was enough to show me that I didn't make it this far to be scared or nervous, but happy that I took this opportunity. Being a first-year Educators Rising student, and placing first at Nationals is insane to think about because it shows me that with the right mind set and dedication, I can set high goals for myself and accomplish them," Madrid said.

“With a purpose and passion, I am filled with gratitude, to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who played a role in my journey to becoming the first-place winner at nationals,” Torres said. “I am grateful to the incredible individuals at Cibola, the CTE program, and Arizona FCCLA, whose support pushed me toward this remarkable achievement. In particular, I want to thank [Cibola Culinary Instructor] Ms. [Tawny] Saldaña. Her dedication and belief in me not only pushed me beyond my limits but also ignited my imagination with new ideas. She gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue something that I never thought was possible. Culinary Arts opened doors I never knew existed, equipping me with a ServSafe certification to enhance my future job prospects and ultimately the first-place win at nationals.”

The students attended the national conferences either as competitors or leaders.

Here is a list of the students who earned a top-three finish in their event:

• Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA)

• Alaina Tracy (Cibola High School), third place, Home Health Aide

• SkillsUSA

• Miguel Iniguez (Kofa High School), third place, Building Maintenance

• FCCLA

• Jesus Torres (Cibola High School), first place, Culinary Arts

• Educators Rising

• Lilyan Madrid (Kofa High School), first place, Lesson Planning and Deliver-CTE; Vanessa Muela (San Luis High School), third place, Spanish Book – K-3

YUHSD also said several students qualified for Future Farmers of America nationals.

Cibola High School’s Poultry Evaluation team consisted of Taygen Newby, Wyatt Bacon, Rylee Raney, and Kaylyn Larson.

Along with their Conduct of Meetings team consisting of Annie Holbrook, Lucy Nielsen, Cali-Rose Logan, Rocco Meyers, Emmalina Quamen, Zachary Bowers, and Ellie McNeece who will travel to Indianapolis in November.