Orange-Ulster BOCES students earn top honors at state SkillsUSA conference
Young Life. Gold medal winners advance to national competition in Atlanta.
| 15 May 2026 | 02:21
OUB’s SkillsUSA medal winners! (left to right): Grace Coleman (Pine Bush CSD), silver medal, Medical Assisting; Savannah Collins (Enlarged City School District of Middletown) gold medal, Early Childhood Education; Kayla Lee (Pine Bush CSD) silver medal, Medical Terminology; Craig Brown, (Washingtonville CSD), gold medal, Carpentry; and the Welding Fabrication Team, which won a gold medal: and Patrick Frawley (Minisink Valley CSD), Brady Witkowski (Minisink Valley CSD) and Patrick Frawley (Minisink Valley CSD). Not pictured: Dayanara Garcia (Enlarged City School District of Middletown), gold medal, Nail Care. (
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OUB’s Welding Fabrication Team - Brady Witkowski (Minisink Valley CSD); Patrick Frawley (Minisink Valley CSD) and Patrick Frawley (Minisink Valley CSD) - won a gold medal in their event at SkillsUSA State Championships in Syracuse. (
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Students from the SkillsUSA Orange-Ulster BOCES chapter captured top honors at the SkillsUSA New York State Conference in Syracuse, with six gold medal winners now advancing to compete June 1-5 at the national level in Atlanta.
OUB students won first place in welding fabrication, nail care, carpentry, and early childhood, bringing home more gold medals than any year in recent memory.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Laura Brissing, a school counselor at OUB and the SkillsUSA advisor. “We’re like proud parents.”
The students returned to the OUB campus on April 24 after several days of competition that showcased their expertise, professionalism, and leadership across an array of career and technical education fields. In all, 46 OUB students traveled to Syracuse, joining competitors from more than 100 schools across New York.
“Our SkillsUSA competitors have spent months building their skills within our labs and classrooms, and what they showed in Syracuse was a direct reflection of that work,” said Sara Puccio, OUB’s director of career and technical education. “They competed the way they show up in their programs every day, with focus and pride in their craft, and they made Orange-Ulster BOCES incredibly proud. We have every confidence they will bring that same commitment to the national stage.”
The students and several advisors will fly to Atlanta for the week-long championships.
OUB’s gold medalists and their home school districts are:
Welding Fabrication (Team Contest)
● Cameron Brown, Monroe-Woodbury Central School District
● Patrick Frawley, Minisink Valley Central School District
● Brady Witkowski, Minisink Valley Central School District
Nail Care
● Dayanara Garcia, Enlarged City School District of Middletown
Carpentry
● Craig Brown, Washingtonville Central School District
Early Childhood Education
● Savannah Collins, Enlarged City School District of Middletown
“It was pretty intense,” said Cameron Brown, a gold medalist in welding fabrication.
In Syracuse, his team was tasked with assembling a press break, a metal bending machine that can bend sheet metal into precise shapes and angles. “We had no idea what we were going to have to do, but we did it,” Cameron said.
Two OUB students also won silver medals. Grace Coleman (Pine Bush CSD) won silver in medical assisting, and Kayla Lee (Pine Bush CSD) won silver in medical terminology.
The SkillsUSA Championships is the culmination of a year-long process that begins in local SkillsUSA chapters. Local winners advance to regional competitions, and those winners advance to state contests. From there, state-level gold medalists go on to compete nationally at the SkillsUSA Championships each June. Along with gold, silver and bronze medals, championship competitors can earn scholarships, tools, and some even get job offers.