Maplewood student wins gold medal at SkillsUSA national competition
Sarah Penix of Randolph, a recent graduate who studied medical assisting at Maplewood Career Center, is a national winner of the SkillsUSA National Medical Assisting contest.
Penix, who recently graduated from Waterloo High School after studying medical assisting at Maplewood, was a SkillsUSA champion in the local, state and national competition, winning first place in each contest. She is the first Maplewood student to win first place in the national contest in five years and one of only a handful of Maplewood students who have placed nationally in the career center's history.
After local competitions took place at the school, 20 students earned medals in regional contests in Skills USA.
Penix said there was no regional competition for medical assisting, so she advanced directly to the state contest in Columbus.
At the state competition, Sarah won a gold medal, earning her a place at the national competition. Dylan Martz also won a gold medal in precision machining, as well as a bronze medal in CNC milling but didn't go to the national competition because there is not a contest in his field. Other medalists in Columbus were silver medalists Holly Coss in nurse assisting and Caden Bennett in cabinet making; and bronze medalists Rachel Whetstone in basic health care skills and Hayley Ross in medical terminology.
In Atlanta, Penix said 11 students were in the competition. They were there for a week, and spent three days taking a written test and hands-on assessments of what they'd do in the field. Alexis Rutledge, medical assisting instructor, said students from various states competed, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
In addition to her medal, Penix said she got a cash prize and a free certification course for winning the competition. Skills USA, she said, offers certification courses in a variety of fields besides medical, such as IT and secretarial.
"SkillsUSA is a highly respected competition," Penix said. "Winning gold gives you a huge head start in your career."
Penix, who holds certifications in medical assisting and phlebotomy, plans to study forensic chemistry at Ohio University. She said she plans to use the certifications to work while she is in college, and expects to earn a higher wage because of them.
"It's a head start in the field and in the workplace," she said.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage student wins gold medal at SkillsUSA national competition
