Building Confidence and Careers: Dallas College Students Excel at National Championship

June 11, 2026

Students from Dallas College came home from the Skills USA Championships in Atlanta with five medals and a renewed sense of confidence, leadership and career readiness. The competition, held June 1-5, brought together 6,800 state champions from across the country to compete in 115 skilled trades and leadership categories.

Twenty-four Dallas College students who had achieved gold at the state competition traveled to Atlanta, along with two student delegates. At the state event, Dallas College students competed in 33 different categories, achieving 22 gold, 17 silver and 18 bronze medals.

The Entrepreneur

Among Dallas College’s standout competitors in Atlanta was Eboni Johnson. She competed (L-R) Professor Annie Hall, Eboni Johnson, Madison Cobbs, Deni Bojay and Valerie Hernandez in Entrepreneurship with teammates Deni Bojay, Madison Cobbs and Valerie Hernandez. They developed a business plan, delivered a “shark tank” type pitch, fielded questions from judges and earned gold.

"This national title proves what we have always believed about our students. Give them a real opportunity and the right preparation and they will compete with anyone in the country and win,” said Dr. David Wells, department chair, Dallas College School of Business, Hospitality and Global Trade. “I could not be prouder of this team and the faculty who built them into national champions.”

The team’s business concept, Oasis Onsite, is a double-decker mobile spa that would travel to large businesses to offer spa treatments. The idea is that a company’s HR department would book the spa for a full day and schedule appointments as a company perk.

“Corporations are already investing in wellness initiatives. Employee productivity increases, along with morale and retention,” said Johnson.

The concept lines up with Johnson’s current profession as a licensed esthetician who has been running her own business since 2022. “I started the business with a skill, but I didn’t have the knowledge to run a business, so I went back to school,” she said.

In May, Johnson was awarded an associate degree in entrepreneurship and serves as president of the college’s Entrepreneur Society.

She has now enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Management program at Dallas College. Her experiences at Eastfield Campus made her decide to stay put rather than transfer out.

“At Dallas College the support is unmatched. Professors like Annie Hall and Leslie Peters really care about their students so much,” she said. “I’ve never had teachers like that before. And it’s not just about my academic journey, they care about my business.”

This is Johnson’s second year competing in SkillsUSA. Last year, she won gold at the state competition and bronze in Atlanta. This year, she employed the confidence and experience from last year to lead her younger teammates to gold medal victory.

Johnson said the advisors helped her understand she needed to help her teammates believe in themselves.

“There is a big lesson as a leader in helping people understand the power they have … helping them lean into the strengths they bring to the team and see how, when all our strengths come together, we are great,” she said.

(L-R) Gracey Castillo, Keaira Lee and Dexter McDonald Jr.

The Fashion Marketer

Another student who found success and new confidence through SkillsUSA was Gracey Castillo, a fashion marketing major who was new to the competition this year.

Professor Carmen Carter, who leads Dallas College’s Fashion Marketing program, first recommended she take part. Carter suggested that SkillsUSA would help deepen Castillo’s understanding of marketing but also she’d learn new skills and be able to connect with others. And she was right!

Castillo put together a team with Keaira Lee and Dexter McDonald Jr. to compete in the Promotional Bulletin Board category. Their challenge: create a bulletin board and accompanying materials that promote SkillsUSA career and technical education and connect to this year’s theme: “Champion Your Future.”

Castillo was pleased when her team won a gold medal at the state competition in Corpus Christi, propelling them to nationals.

The team’s bulletin board had a magazine theme and focused on nine core occupations. “We tied it into the Olympics and FIFA World Cup,” said Castillo.

She said participation in SkillsUSA has helped her grow, she learned time management skills and improved her speaking abilities. “As a marketing manager it’s really key that you know how to present your ideas clearly,” she said.

While Castillo’s team didn’t bring home a medal at the national competition, the real-world experience and leadership development was valuable. “SkillsUSA helped me see how impactful creative work can be and motivated me to continue improving and explore more opportunities,” she said.

Both Johnson and Castillo are already planning their returns to competition next year.

2026 Dallas College SkillsUSA National Medalists

Gold Medalists

• Entrepreneurship: Deni Bojay, Madison Cobbs, Valerie Hernandez and Eboni Johnson (Eastfield Campus)
• Practical Nursing: Nicola Lopez (El Centro Campus)

Silver Medalists

• Career Pathways — Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources: Ximena Casillas, Andrew Garcia and Allan Morales (El Centro Campus)

Bronze Medalists

• First Aid-CPR: Michael Akpoguma (El Centro Campus) for
• Nurse Assisting: Donna Chiutsi (El Centro Campus)

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