HCTC Students Power Through Competition After Disaster

On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Upstate Today published “HCTC Students Power Through Competition After Disaster.” Reporter Andrea Kelley shares the story of how five Hamilton Career and Technology Center students persevered after their tool trailer was stolen ahead of the SkillsUSA State Competition at Midlands Technical College (MTC).

Determined to find a solution, carpentry instructor Dawson Alexander reached out to MTC, explaining his team’s situation. “Within an hour and a half… they had everything. They had hard hats, safety glasses, tools – they were great,” he said.

In the article, Kelley spoke with members of the team about how they overcame the loss of their tools and pushed through—ultimately earning a gold medal and the opportunity to compete at the SkillsUSA National Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, this June.

An excerpt from the article:

Midlands Tech instructor Ethan Reynolds told The Journal it was “a big deal” for the students to get to compete.

“I competed in SkillsUSA when I was in high school, and again when I attended Midlands Tech in college, and I know how it affected my confidence,” he said. “Whether it was Dawson’s team or any other team, we were going to do everything we could to help them out, just so those kids could have that chance to compete.”

Providing the tools also taught the students another valuable life lesson.

“I think it’s really important for them, morale-wise, to see that they have a community around them that’s willing to help,” Reynolds said. “It ended up being a great thing because they won the competition. That was kind of full circle. It was cool to see.”

The complete news article is available from Upstate Today.