Amiya Smith’s ear-to-ear smile while standing atop the podium Feb. 21 told the whole story.
The senior from Delaware Hayes in DACC’s Cosmetology program had just won first place in the Esthetics competition at the SkillsUSA Ohio Central Regionals. It was the product of months of hard work and dedication – the fruit from seeds planted throughout her final year at the career center.
“My competition included a facial, massage and makeup application. To finish first I used all of my free lab time, closed my books for weeks and met with my model outside of school multiple times a week,” Smith said afterwards.
“I also consulted a professional makeup artist and worked with her one-on-one to find a look suited for my model – and then practiced, practiced, practiced.”
It all paid off on that late-February day, when she earned first place in a crowded regional field. As she stood atop the podium – alongside her model and classmate, Olentangy Berlin senior Lillian Baker – she couldn’t help but smile.
She had just qualified for the SkillsUSA Ohio State Championships for the first time.
“It was the best feeling of my life,” Smith said. “When they called my name and I walked up, on my way up I saw many fellow classmates cheering for me – there's no way to describe how good that felt.”
Smith was one of 11 DACC students to qualify for state during regionals Feb. 21-22. More than 450 students from 24 area high schools and career centers participated in the regional competition, which the Delaware Area Career Center hosted for the second straight year.
More than 30 students from DACC competed at regionals – applying the skills they’re learning in their career-technical labs in a competitive setting. Here’s who placed fourth or higher in their respective competitions, thus qualifying for state:
Amiya Smith (Cosmetology, Delaware Hayes) placed first in Esthetics
Kylee Warmath (Cosmetology, Big Walnut) placed first in Cosmetology
Caleb Layne (Construction Technology, Olentangy Orange), Brayden Becker-Shaw (Construction Technology, Olentangy Berlin), Justin Silva (Construction Technology, Worthington Kilbourne) and Mason Young (Construction Technology, Olentangy Orange) placed first in Teamworks
Bryston Curtis (Automotive Collision Technology, Delaware Hayes) placed first and Caden Beck (Automotive Collision Technology, Delaware Christian) placed second in Automotive Refinishing
Aidan Kaufman (Engineering: Robotics, Automation & Design, Olentangy) placed fourth in Related Technical Math
Ava Lago-Jones (Cosmetology, Olentangy Berlin) placed fourth in Nail Care
Alexander Korotkin (Automotive Collision Technology, Big Walnut) placed fourth in Collision Repair
DACC’s Jadyn Parrish (Criminal Justice, Olentangy Berlin) will also head to state with the goal of being elected as a SkillsUSA Ohio state officer. She recently qualified by passing a screening test and submitting an application. Parrish is running to serve as an officer for the 2025-26 school year.
The SkillsUSA Ohio State Championships will be held March 18-19 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus.