Las Cruces – Culinary Arts student Lorena Giesbrecht returned from Louisville, Kentucky with the second place silver medal in the Restaurant Services category at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference.
Giesbrecht scored 94% of the total possible points in the competition which tested students on the skills required to run the “front of the house” in a fine restaurant. The focus was on guest service and guest relations in the dining room. Students were judged on their ability to provide a professional and pleasant experience a patron would expect at a higher end establishment.
Giesbrecht was one of 6,000 students participating in more than 100 different competitions. Three other Doña Ana Community College (DACC) students represented New Mexico at nationals. Automotive Technology student Jon Millykangas and Victor Velasquez an Electronics Technology major competed in their respective events. Bianca Lugo served as a voting delegate for the State during the House of Delegates deliberation.
“We are extremely proud of all of our DACC students who participated at the national level and represented New Mexico and DACC,” said Saundra Castillo, DACC Dean of Advanced Technology. “Next year we hope to have even more representatives at this national conference. Also, congratulations to the instructors and staff who played a vital role in preparing our students for the competition.”
The national event featured representatives from career and technical education including 16 different career clusters. Welding, culinary arts, electronics, carpentry, robotics, medical assisting, and public speaking among the many disciplines.
Giesbrecht was also recently elected as the Vice President for DACC student government Association and President of SkillsUSA-DACC.
Information from DACC