Wright Tech Digital Media takes top state honor at SkillsUSA
March 30, 2026
Montes and Dobbins take second in construction competitions
Wright Tech’s student warriors from Digital Media, Electrical, and Plumbing & Heating had a positive showing at the state SkillsUSA competition on March 27, 2026. The dynamic duo from Digital Media, Senior Bryan Lima Torres and Junior Michael Monroy, qualified for the national championships in Atlanta.
“The awards ceremony was incredibly exciting,” said Monroy. “Waiting to see who won and then hearing them call J.M. Wright Tech.”
For their competition, Monroy and Lima Torres were tasked with creating a promotional video for SkillsUSA. The pair took 4 hours of video of the various competitions taking place at A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford, the main location for SkillsUSA in Connecticut. They then had 2 hours to edit the raw footage, which Monroy said was a little nerve-wracking. “We only had an hour left” when they started editing, said Monroy.
Wright Tech Principal Jayme Beckham congratulated the students of Wright Tech for their “outstanding participation, performance, and placement in SkillsUSA. Your dedication and hard work reflect not only your individual talents, but also your commitment to excellence. SkillsUSA is more than a competition, it’s a vital step toward building a strong, skilled workforce for the future.”
SkillsUSA is a national student organization that supports Career and Technical Education (CTE). In Connecticut, it’s tied closely to technical high schools and trade programs.
The big event each year is the State Leadership & Skills Conference, where students compete in hands-on, career-based events; demonstrate technical skills and workplace readiness (interviewing, teamwork, leadership); and qualify for the national competition. The national competition for SkillsUSA is slated for June in Atlanta.
Gov. Ned Lamont, who attended the events at Prince, said in a post on Instagram, “From automotive technology to EMT training, hairdressing to cabinetmaking, these competitions highlight talent, discipline, and real-world readiness of out students here in Connecticut.”
Wright Tech has 9 trades, including Electrical, Carpentry, Plumbing & Heating, HVAC, Auto, Health Technology, Digital Media, Information Technology, and Culinary. For the 2026-27 school year, the school will add a 10th trade in the area of Criminal Justice. Wright Tech’s SkillsUSA Coordinator Phil Bodey reported the following results:
