Shanghai – September 28, 2026 -- Mikala Sposito, a 21-year-old welding student from Washtenaw Community College, won a bronze medal at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, becoming the first woman to represent the United States in the Welding skill category.
Nine-member U.S. delegation competes against global field of 1,400
The 2026 WorldSkills USA team, comprising nine SkillsUSA state champions, competed Sept. 22-27 in Shanghai against skilled professionals from 73 countries and regions across 64 skill categories, including seven new emerging occupations.
Two U.S. competitors secure Medal for Excellence with 700+ point scores
Elizabeth Brown, 22, of Missouri, earned the Medal for Excellence in Cooking, ranking among 19 of 45 competitors globally to score above 700 points on the WorldSkills scale. Brown's preparation was backed by Unilever, ZWILLING and Smithfield Foods.
Charles Goede, 20, of Connecticut, a plumbing apprentice, received the same distinction in the Plumbing and Heating competition, supported by the PHCC Educational Foundation, IAPMO, UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 777 JATC and DEWALT.
Tennessee mechatronics duo named Best of Nation
Evan Chow, 24, and James "Jack" Sutherland, 24, both of Tennessee, were selected by SkillsUSA as recipients of the Best of Nation award for their performance in the two-person Mechatronics competition, an honor granted to one competitor or team per participating country.
Remaining delegation spans automotive, carpentry, CNC milling and heavy vehicle trades
James Cahill, 20, of Missouri, competed in Automobile Technology; Tristan Coates, 22, of Florida, in Carpentry; Alexis Squyres, 21, of Pennsylvania — the first female U.S. representative in CNC Milling and a national bronze medalist — in CNC Milling; and Benjamin Strupp, 21, of Wisconsin, in Heavy Vehicle Technology.
Sposito qualified through the SkillsUSA Championships before earning her team spot via welding trials administered by the American Welding Society. SkillsUSA has served as the official U.S. representative to WorldSkills since 1973, fielding delegations since 1975 with more than 300 Americans having competed to date.