West Suburban Students Shine at Statewide SkillsUSA IL Championships

GENEVA -- Students from across the West Suburbs demonstrated their career and technical expertise at the 2025 SkillsUSA Illinois Championships, bringing home a wide range of honors in disciplines from health sciences and engineering to culinary arts, manufacturing, and public speaking.

With strong representation from schools including Waubonsie Valley High School, West Aurora High School, Indian Valley Vocational Center, and Waubonsee Community College, the region stood out as a hub of excellence in workforce education. Students competed in real-world skill contests like Cyber Security, Medical Math, Cabinetmaking, and Entrepreneurship, judged by industry professionals.

“These students are the future workforce of Illinois and the nation,” said Eric Hill, Executive Director of SkillsUSA Illinois. “The level of skill, professionalism, and pride displayed at this year's Championships was truly inspiring. We are proud to celebrate their achievements as they take the next steps in their educational and professional journeys.”

Students from Waubonsie Valley High School earned high honors in Medical Assisting, Web Design, and Principles of Engineering. Meanwhile, West Aurora High School students swept events like CNC Programming and Automated Manufacturing Technology. Waubonsee Community College was another top performer, taking home gold in Collision Damage Appraisal and Automotive Service Technology.

These achievements reflect the region’s commitment to hands-on education that prepares students for high-demand jobs. School leaders and local legislators continue to support expanding CTE programs that integrate academic knowledge with real-world experience.

Many of the medalists from the West Suburbs will advance to the national stage this summer at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, where they’ll compete against top students from across the country.

For more information, visit the SkillsUSA Illinois Championships page at www.skillsusaillinois.org/championships.

Results:

Central High School (Burlington) (Burlington) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Don DeWitte

• House: Rep. Dan Ugaste

Students:

• Rukmini Gangavarapu – Community Service (1st Place)

• Sanay Gulati – Community Service (1st Place)

• Ryan Kersting – Community Service (1st Place)

• Armaan Manlapaz – Community Service (2nd Place)

• Anika Prasad – Community Service (2nd Place)

• Aadi Sheth – Community Service (2nd Place)

• Daud Khan – Computer Programming (2nd Place)

• Ross Miller – Digital Cinema Production (3rd Place)

• Luke Vanoss – Digital Cinema Production (3rd Place)

• Sadie Marquardt – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Nicole Nguyen – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Nihaar Takhar – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Nather Takhar – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Samvir Devineni – Graphic Communications (1st Place)

• Aarav Patel – Graphic Communications (3rd Place)

• Nihaar Takhar – Job Interview (2nd Place)

• Sanay Gulati – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Kanav Kapur – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Daud Khan – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Sohan Shah – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Shubh Shah – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Caleb Goldenstein – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Luke Vanoss – Quiz Bowl (1st Place)

• Reece Scallion – Video Production (2nd Place)

Fox Valley Career Center (Maple Park) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Dave Syverson

• House: Rep. Jeff Keicher

Students:

• Justin Bobeczko – Electrical Construction Wiring (1st Place)

• Jacob Prescott – Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (1st Place)

• Collin Orphal – Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (2nd Place)

• Sam Hodyl – Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (3rd Place)

• Kayla Gonzalez – Preschool Interactive Display - Illinois (1st Place)

• Aayushi Thakkar – Preschool Interactive Display - Illinois (1st Place)

Indian Valley Vocational Center (Sandwich) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Dave Syverson, Sen. Sue Rezin

• House: Rep. Jed Davis, Rep. Jeff Keicher

Students:

• Abbey Roe – Advertising Design (2nd Place)

• Joseph Wengren – Automotive Service Technology (2nd Place)

• Makena Snelling – Baking and Pastry Arts (2nd Place)

• Jasmine Nagy – Chapter Display (1st Place)

• LilyAnn Richardson – Chapter Display (1st Place)

• Johanna Mitchell – Chapter Display (1st Place)

• Daniel Maller – Crime Scene Investigation (2nd Place)

• Payton Rosa – Crime Scene Investigation (2nd Place)

• Skyler Gerencir – Crime Scene Investigation (2nd Place)

• Joshua Lopez – Culinary Arts (1st Place)

• Grace Anderson – Firefighting (2nd Place)

• Devyn Jensen – Firefighting (3rd Place)

• Olivia Thrall – First Aid/CPR (1st Place)

• Olivia Sandoval – First Aid/CPR (2nd Place)

• Keira Daily – Job Skill Demonstration OPEN (1st Place)

• Dakota Holbrook – Job Skill Demonstration OPEN (2nd Place)

• Liam McLaughlin – Practical Nursing (1st Place)

• Addison Thompson – Restaurant Service (3rd Place)

• Samuel Calderon II – Technical Spelling - Illinois (3rd Place)

• Keygan Hake – T-Shirt Design (3rd Place)

• Kameron Hastings – Welding Sculpture (1st Place)

• Alan Parkison – Welding Sculpture (3rd Place)

Metea Valley High School (Aurora) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Karina Villa

• House: Rep. Barbara Hernandez, Rep. Maura Hirschauer

Students:

• Akanksha Agarwal – Additive Manufacturing (1st Place)

• Diksha Metri – Additive Manufacturing (1st Place)

• Shriya Chandge – Basic Health Care Skills (2nd Place)

• Sukirtthan Elanjchezhiyan – Chapter Business Procedure (1st Place)

• Saket Gajara – Chapter Business Procedure (1st Place)

• Ayush Kulkarni – Chapter Business Procedure (1st Place)

• Rayhan Mallikar – Chapter Business Procedure (1st Place)

• Rishabh Railkar – Chapter Business Procedure (1st Place)

• Dhanush Chittaluri – Chapter Business Procedure (1st Place)

• Kashish Upadhyay – Chapter Business Procedure (2nd Place)

• Krithi Ashok – Chapter Business Procedure (2nd Place)

• Lakshana Gopalakrishnan – Chapter Business Procedure (2nd Place)

• Pragya Iyer – Chapter Business Procedure (2nd Place)

• Saanvi Gupta – Chapter Business Procedure (2nd Place)

• Tiana Prem – Chapter Business Procedure (2nd Place)

• Pragya Iyer – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Saanvi Gupta – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Tiana Prem – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Sameera Waghmare – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Ethan Manuel – Entrepreneurship (3rd Place)

• Dhanush Chittaluri – Entrepreneurship (3rd Place)

• Sukirtthan Elanjchezhiyan – Entrepreneurship (3rd Place)

• Rishabh Railkar – Entrepreneurship (3rd Place)

• Saket Gajara – Health Knowledge Bowl (1st Place)

• Kaushik Nanduru – Health Knowledge Bowl (1st Place)

• Jenita Arokiadoss – Health Knowledge Bowl (1st Place)

• Sarayu Maddala – Health Knowledge Bowl (1st Place)

• Sarayu Maddala – Health Occupations Professional Portfolio (1st Place)

• Akarsh Dige – Health Occupations Professional Portfolio (2nd Place)

• Yuvan Singara Kasi – Information Technology Services (2nd Place)

• Shubham Chaudhari – Interactive Application and Video Game Creation (3rd Place)

• Nihaal Sreekanth – Interactive Application and Video Game Creation (3rd Place)

• Kaushik Nanduru – Medical Terminology (1st Place)

• Saket Gajara – Medical Terminology (2nd Place)

• Ethan Manuel – Mobile Robotics Technology (2nd Place)

• Connor Lobos – Mobile Robotics Technology (2nd Place)

• Praneeth Doddi – Prepared Speech (3rd Place)

• Tiana Prem – Related Technical Math (2nd Place)

• Andrew Russell – Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue (1st Place)

• Asmeet Shrirao – Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue (1st Place)

• Srita Pullur – Web Design and Development (1st Place)

• Medha Karnati – Web Design and Development (1st Place)

• Riaan Kaushik – Web Design and Development (2nd Place)

• William Wang – Web Design and Development (2nd Place)

• Claire Nang – Web Design and Development (3rd Place)

• Divisha Surana – Web Design and Development (3rd Place)

Oswego East High School (Oswego) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Linda Holmes

• House: Rep. Stephanie Kifowit

Students:

• Dominic De Matteis – Cabinetmaking (3rd Place)

Oswego High School (Oswego) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Sue Rezin

• House: Rep. Jed Davis

Students:

• Katelyn Thilk – Baking and Pastry Arts (1st Place)

• Jon Wolcott – Cabinetmaking (1st Place)

• Owen Dougherty – Cabinetmaking (2nd Place)

• Aiden Heiden – Masonry (2nd Place)

• Aiden Emanuel – Restaurant Service (1st Place)

• Alexander Robledo – Restaurant Service (2nd Place)

Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Dave Syverson, Sen. Linda Holmes

• House: Rep. Jeff Keicher, Rep. Matt Hanson

Students:

• Aleah Sauder – Automotive Refinishing Technology (1st Place)

• Ava Bochenek – Automotive Refinishing Technology (2nd Place)

• April Tapia – Automotive Refinishing Technology (3rd Place)

• Joshua Stover – Automotive Service Technology (1st Place)

• Benjamin Swanson – Collision Damage Appraisal (1st Place)

• Desiree Quintero – Collision Damage Appraisal (2nd Place)

• AJ Aljumaili – Collision Damage Appraisal (3rd Place)

• Ennis Ballines – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Briana Harris – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Kevin Bustamante Fontanel – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Sarah Pawlus – Entrepreneurship (1st Place)

• Mark Price – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Jack Hinkle – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Sofia Montano – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Bradley Mayfield – Entrepreneurship (2nd Place)

• Julian Flores – Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (1st Place)

• Trent Butzen – Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (2nd Place)

Waubonsie Valley High School (Aurora) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Linda Holmes

• House: Rep. Stephanie Kifowit

Students:

• Surya Kalyan – 3-D Animation and Visualization (2nd Place)

• Sanjith Yelavarthy – 3-D Animation and Visualization (2nd Place)

• Rukaiya Mohamed Aroos – Basic Health Care Skills (1st Place)

• Maanya Srivastava – Basic Health Care Skills (3rd Place)

• Shaurya Jain – Community Service (3rd Place)

• Anoushka Chetty – Community Service (3rd Place)

• Krish Lingayat – Community Service (3rd Place)

• Siyansh Virmani – Customer Service (1st Place)

• Soham Dongre – Customer Service (3rd Place)

• Marco Campagna – Cyber Security (1st Place)

• Jaiveer Singh – Cyber Security (1st Place)

• Ethan Dave – Cyber Security (2nd Place)

• Krish Lingayat – Cyber Security (2nd Place)

• Simran Tarigopula – Extemporaneous Speaking (1st Place)

• Soham Dongre – Extemporaneous Speaking (3rd Place)

• Sanandh Tummuri – Internet of Things and Smart Home (2nd Place)

• Siya Deshmukh – Job Interview (3rd Place)

• Divya Baliga – Medical Assisting (1st Place)

• Saina Arora – Medical Assisting (2nd Place)

• Sara Bansal – Medical Math (1st Place)

• Arjun Yalamati – Medical Math (3rd Place)

• Sanandh Tummuri – Mobile Electronics Installation (1st Place)

• Sanjith Yelavarthy – Mobile Robotics Technology (3rd Place)

• Salil Patki – Mobile Robotics Technology (3rd Place)

• Simran Tarigopula – Prepared Speech (2nd Place)

• Zahra Chishti – Principles of Engineering-Technology (1st Place)

• Granth Shetty – Principles of Engineering-Technology (2nd Place)

• Sanjith Yelavarthy – Principles of Engineering-Technology (3rd Place)

• Akshara Arikatla – Quiz Bowl (2nd Place)

• Aayush Choudhary – Quiz Bowl (2nd Place)

• Arjun Yogesh – Quiz Bowl (2nd Place)

• Hannah Lee – Quiz Bowl (2nd Place)

• Salil Patki – Quiz Bowl (2nd Place)

• Azim Kazmi – Technical Spelling - Illinois (1st Place)

• Aryan Soni – Technical Spelling - Illinois (2nd Place)

West Aurora High School (Aurora) (West Suburbs)

Legislators:

• Senate: Sen. Karina Villa, Sen. Linda Holmes

• House: Rep. Barbara Hernandez, Rep. Matt Hanson

Students:

• Jayden Crete – Automated Manufacturing Technology (1st Place)

• Nicholas Morales – Automated Manufacturing Technology (1st Place)

• Tyler Pozzi – Automated Manufacturing Technology (1st Place)

• Jayden Crete – CNC 2-Axis Turning Programmer (3rd Place)

• Alejandro Vazquez – CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer (3rd Place)

• Jayden Crete – CNC 5-Axis Milling Programmer (1st Place)

• Tyler Pozzi – CNC 5-Axis Milling Programmer (2nd Place)

• Alejandro Vazquez – CNC Programmer (1st Place)

• Jayden Crete – CNC Programmer (2nd Place)

• Tyler Pozzi – CNC Programmer (3rd Place)

• Toby Arndt – Fashion Design - Illinois (2nd Place)

• Leslie Alvarado – Nail Care (1st Place)

• Iris Pawlowski – Promotional Bulletin Board (3rd Place)

• Destiny Redmond – Promotional Bulletin Board (3rd Place)

• Yasir Ochoa – Promotional Bulletin Board (3rd Place)

• Angel Marquez – Welding Fabrication (2nd Place)

• Raul Vargas – Welding Fabrication (2nd Place)

• Adrian Vazquez – Welding Fabrication (2nd Place)

• Logan Wolf – Welding Fabrication (3rd Place)

• Hayden Kaphengst – Welding Fabrication (3rd Place)

• Ruddy Aguirre – Welding Fabrication (3rd Place)