Neighbor News
South Suburban SkillsUSA Students Shine on National Stage
A look at how local students fared in Atlanta, GA.
LOCKPORT -- Students from the South Suburbs earned major honors at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, with top-three national finishes in fields ranging from medical assisting to engineering.
Diya Patel of Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights earned gold in Medical Assisting, making her a national champion. “These gold medalists are national champions in their craft,” said Eric Hill, Executive Director of SkillsUSA Illinois. “We’re proud of every single competitor.”
Lockport Township High School scored a major victory as Samuel Drong, Gavin Leone, and Stephen Reuter took gold in Engineering Technology-Design. Duncan Kenney Benson, also of Lockport, earned silver in Technical Drafting.
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Other South Suburban honorees included:
- Charley Dieringer, Homewood-Flossmoor High School – silver, CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer
- Logan Cowger and Shane Lynch, Peotone Junior High School – silver, Additive Manufacturing
Illinois students competed against 6,600 of the best from around the country in skilled and technical fields, following earlier wins at the State Championships in Peoria.
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“This is more than just a trophy,” said Hill. “It’s a sign these young people are ready for success—and that Illinois is leading the way in preparing the workforce of the future.”
The students’ path to Nationals was supported by the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship program and other state investments in CTE.
More details, livestreams, and photos from the Atlanta event can be found at www.nlsc.skillsusa.org.
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