Photo courtesy of David Sim Auto Tech instructor David Narhi (right) poses with CTE student Dallas Bekka, who earned first place in the Overall Automotive SkillsUSA Region competition.

HANCOCK – Nine students from the Copper Country Intermediate School District CTE attended a recent SkillsUSA Regional Competition and will advance to state finals, according to CCISD Public Engagement Specialist David Sim. Bay College, in Escanaba, hosted the 2026 SkillsUSA Regional Competition on Feb. 6, drawing students from across the Upper Peninsula.

The students are enrolled in the CTE Automotive Technology and the CTE Welding and Manufacturing programs, Sim said. Five of the nine students placed in their competitions.

Dallas Bekkala, a junior home-schooled student in the Auto Tech program, earned first place in the Automotive Overall competition, earning him a $2,500 scholarship.

“The scholarship is only for Bay College, though,” Sim said.

According to Bay College, the Bay College Foundation awarded four $2,500 scholarships to first-place finishers in their respective overall categories, along with four $1,000 scholarships to students earning second place in each overall category.

The Automotive Technology competition challenged students with an ASE-style written test followed by six timed hands-on stations. These stations tested practical diagnostic capabilities, including voltage drop testing, cylinder measurements, and parts identification.

In the welding category, said Sim, students faced a “blind” judging process where they performed complex tasks without seeing other competitors’ work.

Calumet High School Senior Lyle Lasanen, in welding and manufacturing, secured a first-place finish in TIG welding. His test included welding a T-joint with a vertical weld on the backside and a flat weld around a tube, said Sim.

Also in welding and manufacturing, Emmett Kangas, a home-schooled junior, earned first place in his competition. His test involved a structural, multi-pass welding procedure designed for deep, consistent penetration followed by high-strength filling.

Other students who did well in the Automotive competitions, Sim said, included CTE Auto Tech students Jeremiah Mason, Samantha Narhi, and Wesley Narhi, all of whom are homeschooled students coming to the CCISD Career Tech Center for CTE Auto Tech by way of the CLK School’s UPVA program, as well as Jeffers High School.