MUSCLE SHOALS- Proving to be one of the best in the nation, Northwest-Shoals Community College(NW-SCC) student Ulrekia Malone of Florence, Alabama, earned silver medalist honors at the recent SkillsUSA National Competition in Kansas City, Missouri.
Ulrekia Malone
Malone was selected to attend the national competition in the Cosmetology – Job Interview competition after winning the state competition held in Birmingham earlier in the spring. This was the first year for Malone to compete. However, Melinda Grissom, one of her Cosmetology instructors, knew she would compete at a really high level. “She is a student on a different level,” said Grissom. “Ulrekia is so polished and impressive in the way she carrys herself. I knew she would interview really well.”
Dr. Humphrey Lee
With Northwest-Shoals Community College (NW-SCC) Cosmetology program on the verge of building a new $2.68 million Salon and Spa Center, NW-SCC President Lee believes this is a perfect example of the level of students NW-SCC is trying to attract. “Ulrekia is an example of one of our model cosmetology students we had in mind while preparing to upgrade our Salon and Spa Management program,” said Lee. “We want to be able to train all our future Salon and Spa students in a new state-of-the-art facility that gives them the best opportunity for success in the workforce.”
Malone is currently going through instructor training classes in Esthetics at NW-SCC and hopes to graduate this December and begin teaching.
Other than Malone NW-SCC had three students place in the top 10 at the 2014 National SkillsUSA competition: Helen Elliott of Lexington, Ala. (10th place in Cosmetology – Esthetics), Luke Seibert of Cherokee, Ala. (4th place in Carpentry) and Zack Tucker of Muscle Shoals, Ala. (7th place in Cabinetmaking).
The National SkillsUSA Job Interview competition was divided into three phases: completion of employment applications; preliminary interviews with receptionist; and, in-depth interviews. Contestants were evaluated on their understanding of employment procedures faced in applying for positions in the occupational areas for which they are training.
The 2013 SkillsUSA National Championships placed over 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students against each other in elite hands‑on competition in 98 different trade, technical, and leadership fields.
MEDIA RELEASE/NW-SCC/TRENT RANDOLPH, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
