Gold-Medal Discipline: How Guilford Tech Aviation Student Jared Dawson Prepared for the National Stage

Winning a national championship doesn’t happen overnight. For Jared Dawson, an Aviation Maintenance Technology student at Guilford Technical Community College, capturing the Gold Medallion at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta was the result of a grueling, months-long training regimen. Competing against top students from across the country, Dawson’s first-place finish highlights the dedicated preparation and hands-on training foundational to the North Carolina Community College System. 

We sat down with Jared to talk about the discipline, mentorship, and technical focus it took to bring home the gold. 

Q: Walk me through what your preparation routine looked like between winning the state competition in April and stepping onto the national stage in Atlanta this June. 

Jared: Preparation really started well before the state competition in April. We had our own competition here in the program around late January. Starting then, it was game on to get ready for the upcoming competitions. From February to May, I would come to school two hours early three days a week to get some hands-on practice for all kinds of different items that would be a part of the SkillsUSA comp. I took a week off after winning states, but as nationals loomed closer, it was time to double down. Instead of three days a week, it was daily to make sure I was good to go on all the tasks. Those before-school hours were a huge part of my practice routine, but I’d also use any free time I had at school to do some reading or hands on practice, and even at home every now and then. 

Q: What specific tasks or technical challenges did the Aviation Maintenance Technology competition consist of at Nationals? What exactly are you evaluated on? 

Jared: There were 12 total tasks involved in the competition. These were composite inspection, dye penetrant inspection, sheet metal, aircraft wheels and brakes, control rigging, electrical, tube bend & flare, control cable fabrication, propellers, magneto timing, safety (written test), and turbine engine parts identification. Comprehensive scores are still yet to be released (they say before August 1), so I can only speak so far to grading. I imagine I am evaluated on quality of work, of course, but also speed, correct use of provided equipment, knowledge, among others. We are also evaluated on our uniform. 

Q: How did you manage the pressure of competing against the top students from across the country? 

Jared: Honestly, while there were some nerves, I don’t know if I’d say I felt any sort of pressure. I knew that these guys were the top of the game from their respective schools and states. There was a lot of uncertainty in my mind about how I’d measure up, but I knew I’d been putting in the hours to practice. So, I did my best at the things I could control and made sure not to worry about what I couldn’t control. All the other competitors were excellent and deserved recognition, too. 

Q: How did the mentorship from David Roesler, Aviation Systems Technology Instructor at Guilford Tech, and the rest of the aviation faculty shape your skills and confidence leading up to this win?  

Jared: I told Mr. Roesler after the competition that this first-place win was just as much his as it was mine, and I really mean that. Mr. Roesler was a huge support throughout the whole process. Any question I had, he had an answer to (and if he didn’t, we’d do our research to find one). Any mistake I made in practice, he answered with suggestions for improvement, explanations of where I went wrong, and tips to help me get better. All of his expertise really gave me what I needed to do good. We also worked with many of the other instructors to help me out with specific items. 

Q: Was there a particular moment or technical station during the conference that tested you the most? How did you troubleshoot or overcome it? 

Jared: There were definitely a few difficult moments in the competition. I made a potentially disastrous mistake on my tube bend & flare, a simple oversight in the electrical task, and ran up to the very last second to complete my last task, basically making a buzzer beater finish at the turbine parts ID station. I’d say that in each of these situations, my practice, mentorship from Mr. Roesler, and knowledge really came into play. I was able to slow down, take a breath, and assess where I was at. Having practiced and learned about each system/process (e.g. tube bending process, electrical systems, and turbine engine operation), I was then able to identify steps I could take to rectify my errors or change what I was doing to get the right result. My ability to fix my mistakes and finish everything in time came from all the practice leading up to the competition and the mentorship and guidance that Mr. Roesler gave prior to the comp.

Q: How did the hands-on training and facilities at Guilford Tech specifically help you feel ready for the exact scenarios you faced in Atlanta? 

Jared: All the equipment and tools we have at GTCC were a huge help. For many of the tasks, GTCC has a very similar, if not spot on, replica which absolutely helped me to be prepared for the competition. But even if I had 100% exact replicas, familiarity with those specific items will only go so far. The other half of this equation is knowledge of all the systems, components, parts, processes, and tools that an aircraft mechanic would use. I still made mistakes in the competition even though I was very familiar with many of the task items. The thing that enabled me to correct myself was the knowledge and understanding I had of what I was working on, why it works the way it does, and what goes on inside these systems. For a deeper example, the electrical circuit I worked on is pretty easily replicated. But knowing electrical theory, how electrical systems work, what each component on the board does, really enabled quick and effective work. 

Q: What are your next steps for your career in aviation maintenance? 

Jared: Get out there and get to work! I haven’t been in the Airframe & Powerplant program for nothing. I plan to put my certifications to good use. I’m sending out a lot of applications and hope to have a good job that is the right fit for my family. Long term, I’d love to continue my education by possibly pursuing more certifications and aviation specific degrees. 

Jared’s achievements serve as a prime example of the dedication found within North Carolina’s community college students and the strength of our workforce development programs. Learn more about the SkillsUSA competition and see a full list of winners here. 

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA has hundreds of thousands of members nationwide in high schools, middle schools and colleges, covering more than 140 trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The organization is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. For more information, visit SkillsUSA.org and SkillsUSAnc.org.