They Got the Skills …
This year’s Screen Printing Technology SkillsUSA winners are truly students of their craft, with three women taking home the medals in the high school category
Each year, SkillsUSA hosts its National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) to showcase the best career and technical education students in the nation. This year’s conference, held in Atlanta on June 19-23 marked the organization’s 59th year of the event. There was a total of 5,992 students that competed in the SkillsUSA Championships for a gold, silver, or bronze medal across 110 trade, technical, and leadership competitions. In addition, winners also received various tools of their trade, scholarships, and other awards provided by the industry.
During the SkillsUSA Championships — held in conjunction with the NLSC — over 5,100 state champions from across the nation competed. Among them were students vying for the top spot in the Screen Printing Technology category. According to Brandon Hudson from the office of the SkillsUSA Championships, there were 16 high school and 2 college competitors in the category this year.
The following article highlights the 2023 winners from this category. Apparelist connected with a few of them to discuss their experiences not only as competitors, but also as students to the trade and industry.
Benjamin Campbell – Gold Medal, College Division
Benjamin Campbell hails from Charlotte, North Carolina. The 24-year-old is in his second year at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) in Hickory, North Carolina. The self-proclaimed music and video game lover also shows a real talent for screen printing, and his gold medal in the college division at the SkillUSA 2023 Championships proves it.
Benjamin’s first interaction with screen printing was fairly typical of most screen printers. “My first experience with screen printing was in my parent’s garage with a pretty bad setup,” he recalls. “My prints didn’t turn out well.”
But that didn’t stop him from pressing onward (pun intended). “I took screen printing during the summer at CVCC and learned a lot more about the skill,” Benjamin says. “I ended up attending the class again next summer just because I liked it so much. The process is super fun and rewarding. It is a really special experience to be able to make my own stencils and create high-quality prints from scratch while being part of every step.”
Though this is his first time competing in the Screen Printing Technology category, this isn’t Benjamin’s first go-around with SkillsUSA. “I did the T-shirt competition last year and had a good time at the state competition,” he states. “This year I thought I would do the screen-printing competition because it was my favorite class and I felt comfortable with my abilities.”
And even though this was his first try in Screen Printing Technology, Benjamin says he wasn’t nervous at all, largely because of his interaction with the judges. Judges were tasked with preparing in advance with provided materials, interviewing competitors using checklists, having conversations with students, and reviewing their work.
“You learn so much from just open conversation with the students to include their passions, strengths, struggles, techniques, and it also gives me the opportunity to speak life into them and tell them all of the things they are doing right and how bright the future is when you focus on the good,” says Amber Massey, Tshirts for Hope and competition judge. “Judging gives me the opportunity hopefully for people to see a little bit of my faith and joy for life just in the way we interact.”
As for his future, Benjamin is excited to continue exploring screen printing. “Screen printing is always something that I wanted to do throughout my life, and now that I've won this competition I can actually print at my house and make nicer prints on clothing and posters,” he states. “I am very thankful for the opportunity … I am extremely grateful for the judges and the sponsors for their time and for making SkillsUSA such a good experience even in a stressful environment.”
Justin McClellan – Silver Medal, College Division
Securing the silver medal in this year’s college division was Justin McClellan, a 2023 spring graduate from Augusta Technical College in Augusta, Georgia. Justin is from the small town of Harlem, Georgia, which he describes as “a quaint and simple town, that prides itself on its uplifting community and great sense of family it promotes.”
It’s that spirit that helped propel Justin to pursue his passions. “I grew up in this town with everyone always backing up everything I put my heart into, whether it be my passion for art, adept skills with cooking, or great sense of personality,” he explains.
In addition to art and cooking, Justin has also discovered a talent for screen printing, something that he credits his advisor, Sherrie S. Rowe, for introducing to him. Ultimately, he found his way to the podium at this year’s SkillsUSA Championships, but like Benjamin Campbell, this isn’t his first experience with the program.
“This is my third year with SkillUSA, and competing in screen printing [this year] at a national level was my sixth and final competition,” says Justin. In previous years, he competed in Graphic Communications and Graphic Imaging Sublimation. “In those previous competitions, I placed gold at a state and national level,” he adds.
As a SkillsUSA competition veteran, Justin has learned a thing or two that he hopes to pass along to future generations. “One key thing I have learned from my time with SkillsUSA is that when you build a good rapport with people, opportunities come back your way tenfold,” he says. He cites his connection with the judges as just one example of building connections.
Massey agrees that this is crucial to preparing students for a future in the printing industry. “The students always ask how I got into the screen printing, and I get to tell them I was called to serve and pray over people,” Massey explains. “Truly it is like counseling sessions with new students we've never met. I know they have to leave feeling important and loved even if they leave with ink on their clothes.”
These days, you can find Justin working at Keen Signs & Graphics. “My day-to-day tasks include designing customer products, printing products, fabrication of products, delivery of products, and installation of products.
“SkillsUSA has taught me how to better prepare myself for my career and has helped me perfect my public-speaking skills,” Justin concludes. “I am truly blessed with the opportunities and avenues that SkillsUSA has opened for me, and I see myself having a bright and prosperous future.”
Aidah Ilayan – Gold Medal, High School Division
Aidah Ilayan might have just started her freshman year of college at the time of writing, but she secured the gold medal in the high school division. Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Aidah says that one of her favorite parts of living in Ann Arbor was being able to “regularly attend U of M games with my family and friends at the Michigan Stadium, or ‘Big House.’”
Aidah’s hobbies include practicing yoga, running, reading, and you might have guessed it, art. Of course, art plays a huge role in the screen-printing community, and Aidah first discovered the process while taking a graphics communications class her freshman year of high school.
“I originally found the process confusing with too many complicated steps to remember, but I thought the technology behind it was interesting,” Aidah explains. “I became more familiar with screen printing during my senior year of high school while taking Visual Imaging Technology (VIT). In groups, we took orders and designed and printed custom shirts for customers as part of the course, which allowed me to learn each step of the process in depth.”
It would appear those learned skills have paid off nicely for Aidah. She was brought to this year’s SkillsUSA competition by her teacher and advisor, Adam Rodriquez. “I decided to compete this year after being encouraged to do so by … [Adam],” she says. “I was originally hesitant because it was my first year competing and I was unsure of my abilities.” But her winning print proved she has the abilities.
“My winning print was a 4-color, wet-on-wet T-shirt print that involved aligning and registering four individual screens to create the final image,” says Aidah. “After the alignment was finished, I needed to tape off the registration marks and any pin holes in the screen to prevent unwanted ink from depositing on the substrate. Next, I applied different ink colors to each screen and printed each color onto the shirt before placing it into the dryer to cure.”
Despite achieving the print, Aidah was still shocked to hear she had won. “I didn’t believe it at first and if I’m being totally honest, I still don’t believe it now,” she says. “It felt surreal to head backstage with the other competitors who had placed, but it was a moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
As previously mentioned, Aidah is now in her freshman year of college. She notes that she gained many useful skills from competing, such as learning how to interview for a job and how to make conversation in a professional setting. But as for a future in screen printing, only time will tell. “I’m currently focusing on furthering my education at college for the time being, although screen printing may be in my future further down the road,” she muses. “I had an amazing experience competing at SkillsUSA.”
Aria Warner – Silver Medal, High School Division
At the time of writing, Aria Warner was unavailable to be interviewed. We at Apparelist and PRINTING United Alliance offer her congratulations on the silver medal win at this year's SkillsUSA competition - Screen Printing Technology.
Sofia Grasso – Bronze Medal, High School Division
Rounding out the high school medalists in the Screen Printing Technology category is Sofia Grasso, a 17-year-old from Hanover, Massachusetts. Sofia is just starting her senior year at South Shore Technical High School at the time of writing, but don’t let her youth fool you. She is already getting her hands dirty in screen printing at Hemlock Ink Screen Printing & Embroidery, and she plans to launch her own clothing brand on Instagram called Undertone Classic in 2024.
“I initially got into screen print by attending South Shore Technical High School to create designs and merchandise for my company or other clothing brands,” Sofia explains. “At first when I was selected into my shop, I thought creating a design and printing it would be hard, because I didn't have experience with the machinery. I eventually found my groove and got the hang of everything I needed to know from creating a design on the computer to setting up a press.”
Sofia notes that she has her teachers to thank for her involvement with SkillsUSA. “SkillsUSA was brought to me by my three shop teachers in Design and Visual Communications,” she says. She worked her way through the state level to find herself at the national competition.
“It honestly started as a competition between a few of my friends to see who would last the longest,” Sofia recalls. “When I made it to the States, it was a major opportunity, and I knew I couldn’t waste it messing around for a silly bet. I studied my heart out and when hearing, ‘Coming in first place, Sofia Grasso’ at the state level, I had no clue what to do, except think about going to Georgia and competing against other screen printers around the country.”
While it might have started out as a competition among friends, Sofia has found gratitude in the hard work. “When I heard Massachusetts being called up on the stage, I wouldn’t say I was in complete shock, but I definitely had a huge smile on my face,” she recalls of the medal moment. “When walking to the back to get in line, I was only thinking about how great it felt to earn something from working hard for it. Even when given something for free, it doesn’t feel as good as earning it. I worked hard for months to even place.”
