Aberdeen, Miller Students Earn National Honors at SkillsUSA Conference

Students from Aberdeen High School and Miller Junior High brought home national recognition after competing at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Students from Aberdeen High School and Miller Junior High brought home national recognition after competing at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Miller Junior High student Mariana Valerio Souza placed ninth in the nation in Middle School Extemporaneous Speaking. The team of Allison Benson, Jese Rodriguez Garcia, and Sophia Norsby earned an eighth-place national finish in the Middle School Team Engineering Challenge.

At Aberdeen High School, freshman Emily Dominguez placed 16th nationally in Prepared Speech, while freshman Jaycee Kost earned 13th place in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Middle School SkillsUSA advisors are Janet Dayton, Rob Burns, and Hailey Pfeifer. Aberdeen High School SkillsUSA advisors are Chuck Veloni, Cory Martinson, Travis Wheeler, Cordell Trusty, and Ashley Emmett.

Both Aberdeen High School and Miller Junior High SkillsUSA clubs expressed their appreciation to the community members, families, and supporters who helped make the trip possible and cheered on the students as they proudly represented Grays Harbor on the national stage.

Congratulations to these outstanding students for their impressive achievements and dedication to excellence.