Sanford Regional Technical Center student Kaylin Grogg is one of five SRTC students who qualified for the June SkillsUSA national competition in Atlanta.
Grogg, an Engineering and Architectural Design program senior from Marshwood, won the gold medal in the Technical Drafting contest and the SkillsUSA competition in Bangor in March.
As Grogg described, she had the blueprint for the contest, so she created it with computer-aided software and made a new drawing out of it.
There was a sense of ease when Grogg saw her name flash across the screen as the gold medal winner.
"It was also relieving because there were some technical issues in the contest itself," she said.
Grogg was interested in the Engineering and Architectural Design program when she arrived at SRTC because she felt like she could combine her technical skills with creative ones. Grogg said Russell Clark, the Engineering and Architectural Design program instructor, has opened new doors for her that some other students her age might not have access to.
"He helped by giving me access to practice problems and other resources I could use," Grogg said. "We have access to a lot of resources and technology that many people our age wouldn't get to use."
Additionally, Grogg has been able to develop her skills throughout her experience with the program.
"A lot of it is just problem-solving and things like that, and it's really been worthwhile," she said.
As for nationals, Grogg hopes is thrilled with the possibility of competing against the best in her contest.
"The challenge of it is exciting, of course," she said. "And the opportunity to meet new people from all over."
The Sanford Schools Legacy Foundation is now accepting donations on behalf of the students to help offset their travel expenses.
You can make a tax-deductable donation via our website here, look for the "SkillsUSA" dropdown from the menu.
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=A7D5N8ZQ72ESN