
Catawba Valley Community College student Markie James was surprised when she found out she was this year’s national SkillsUSA T-shirt design champion.
“I was just hoping to place really. I’m a 29-year-old mom, married and just finally getting the chance to go to college,” James said. “The opportunity to go to something like this and get recognized at my age is pretty awesome.”
This was her first experience with SkillsUSA and didn’t even know what it was until she joined the club at the college. James is a graphic arts student and her teachers Jennifer Cobb and Aaron Tallman encouraged her to try SkillsUSA.