When Dominik Rusnak, a junior engineering student at the Delaware Area Career Center, got to the SkillsUSA regional competition last month, he was thrown for a few loops. Despite these obstacles, he managed to grab third place and real-life experience.
Rusnak, a junior at Olentangy High School, said the technical drafting competition consisted of a few portions that took about four total hours to complete.
“There was a written portion for hand drafting about how to make a part, and there was also a section where you had to describe line types,” Rusnak said. “Then we moved onto the computer, and we had to make an assembly of a few different parts.”
Rusnak said he didn’t know he was going to be quizzed on line types and attributed his third-place finish to that portion of the competition.
“I had no idea what I was going to have to do,” he said. “I didn’t know I was going to have to do a written portion.”
But a huge problem arose when Rusnak got to the computer portion of the competition, where competitors had to use software to create a 3D model of a type of swivel wheel.
“I was supposed to use SOLIDWORKS (a modeling software), but because of licensing, there was an error and it got mixed up and I had to use a completely different software I’ve never used before,” Rusnak said. “So that’s kind of weird.”
Rusnak said he had used dozens of similar pieces of software before and was able to figure it out and complete his model. He added DACC engineering instructor Adam Paisie’s teaching style encourages thinking on your feet, which Rusnak said helped him succeed.
“I had a little bit of understanding, so I just had to figure it out,” Rusnak said.
Rusnak took third place in the competition and added that having to change plans on the fly is probably something he’ll have to do when he studies either 3D modeling or engineering after graduating high school.
“This is teaching me real world situations and how they effect real life,” Rusnak said.
Rusnak and other DACC students competed at the SkillsUSA state competition last week but no students from the career center advanced to the national competition.
The following students also went to the regional competition last month.
• Jacob Koch, an engineering student from Delaware Hayes High School, took first place in the job interview competition.
• Cameron Mattox, an automotive collision technology student from Hayes, took first place in the automotive refinishing technology competition.
• Melita Sanders, an Olentangy student, and Gabrelia Smith, a Westerville South student, both studying cosmetology, took second place in the nail care category at the competition.
• Oaklee Household, an Olentangy High School student studying cosmetology, took third place in the cosmetology competition.
• William Henderson, a Westerville South student studying automotive collision technology, took third place in the job interview competition.
