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Twenty-eight Waubonsee Community College students competed at the SkillsUSA Illinois 2026 State Championships, held April 23-25, 2026, in Peoria. Fourteen of these individuals earned top-tier recognition for their technical skills and leadership, earning the opportunity to compete at the National Leadership & Skills Conference this June in Atlanta, GA.
The recognized students are:
Automotive Refinishing Technology
- Jovanny Marron, of Lyons; 3rd Place
- Alexander Soto, of Yorkville; 1st Place
Automotive Service Technology
- Gavin Lorentzen, of Somonauk; 3rd Place
Collision Damage Appraisal
- Benjamin Swanson, of Aurora; 1st Place
Collision Repair Technology
- Javier Solis, of Aurora; 3rd Place
Entrepreneurship
- Russell Abner, of Elburn; 1st Place
- Michelle Alaniz, of Aurora; 2nd Place
- Ariana Anguiano, of Yorkville; 2nd Place
- Angela Bolanos, of Aurora; 2nd Place
- Daniel Cadena, of Plano; 2nd Place
- Mitchell Hiltenbrand, of Montgomery; 1st Place
- James Lemos, of Oswego; 1st Place
- Connor McMenamin, of Montgomery; 1st Place
Technical Drafting
- Gregory Harrelson, of DeKalb; 1st Place
Other SkillsUSA Illinois Participants
- Jeffrey Babbitt, of Somonauk, Welding
- Elvis Chau, of Batavia, Automotive Service Technology
- Bri Clark, of Plano, Automotive Service Technology
- Eric Cruz, of Aurora, Automotive Service Technology
- Marco Cuevas, of Sandwich, Collision Repair Technology
- Patrick Finegan, of Plainfield, Automotive Service Technology
- Irene Isitt, of Aurora, Collision Repair Technology
- Jadon Johanes, of Oswego, Automotive Service Technology
- Matthew Meadows, of North Aurora, Automotive Service Technology
- Jacob Merrill, of Oswego, Automotive Service Technology
- Kyle Merrill, of Oswego, Automotive Service Technology
- Colton Sauder, of Marengo, Automotive Refinishing Technology
- Jaxon Shaw, of Sandwich, Automotive Service Technology
- Alexander Soto, of Yorkville, Automotive Refinishing Technology
- Justin Winters, of Oswego, Automotive Service Technology
Joining the students in Peoria were Dr. Tamekia Smith, Dean for Business and Social Science; Renee Skrabacz, Dean for Industry and Technology; Randy Hines, Associate Professor of Computer Aided Design and Drafting; Dr. Alyson Gaspar, Career and Technical Education Services Manager; John Ardelean, Senior Automotive Technology Lab Coordinator; Dr. Nour Al Naber, Assistant Professor of Business; Tyler Friedland, Assistant Professor of Automotive Technology; Guy Tiberio, Associate Professor of Automotive Technology; Ramiro Cervantes, Instructor of Auto Collision and Refinishing Technology; and Emanuel Chavez, Instructor of Welding Technology.
“This was a valuable and rewarding experience for everyone involved, and we look forward to supporting our students as they prepare for nationals,” said Skrabacz.
Waubonsee provides area students the hands-on experience and cutting-edge skills they need to stand out in today’s job market, while also helping meet regional workforce demand in fast-growing fields such as diesel technology, electric vehicles, welding fabrication, and robotic welding. Explore Waubonsee’s award-winning career and technical education programs at waubonsee.edu/CTE.
Pictured Above: Waubonsee students Jovanny Marron, Ben Swanson, Alex Soto, and Javier Solis join Instructor Ramiro Cervantes (second from left) at the SkillsUSA Illinois State Championships. These students were among the top finishers earning national honors for their technical expertise.
