Photo courtesy of Corina Stewart.
High school juniors Marcel Stewart and Ja’Ron West share a unique bond. Both attend Liberty College and Career Academy (LCCA), in Hinesville, Ga., participating in the dual enrollment aviation program, and together make up two-thirds of the gold medal-winning team in the Occupational Health and Safety category at this year’s SkillsUSA Georgia State Leadership & Skills Conference. Did I mention they are brothers?
Now busy preparing for the SkillsUSA Championships in June, Marcel and Ja’Ron share a thirst for victory. Their mother, SkillsUSA National Officer Corina Stewart, sees something more meaningful on the horizon: a full circle moment.
Stewart’s own journey has been extraordinary, transforming herself from a teenager with few prospects to a successful business owner. While in college, she had the opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA and step into leadership roles. Along the way Stewart earned what she proudly describes as a “wall of accomplishments” — trophies, medals and accolades she hoped would inspire her children.
Ja’Ron, who joined the family two years ago, and Marcel were a bit slow to warm to the idea.
“But as my wall grew bigger and bigger. Finally, they were like, ‘If Mom can do it, we want to do it,” Stewart says, with a light laugh.
A Chance to Shine
The competitions of the SkillsUSA Championships are created and judged by industry to ensure that students are learning the real-world skills employers demand from entry-level professionals. In the Occupational Health and Safety category, students demonstrate the safety and health endeavors of their respective career and technical educational programs through a personal interview and portfolio review scored by a panel of judges.
Ja’Ron and Marcel worked collaboratively with their teammate Carley Althouse to develop their presentation, which includes a comprehensive slide deck. Each can speak for about two minutes individually during the full 10-minute presentation. Memorization is important, but they also must think on their feet to answer any questions.
“We both have busy schedules, so does Carley, so we try to squeeze in a group practice at least once a week,” Ja’Ron says, in addition to prep work on their own. “We practice our overall flow as a team. The goal is to crush the presentation.”
Marcel agrees. “By memorizing our cards, we can be fully engaged and make eye contact with the judges during the presentation. That is what they are looking for.”
At the SkillsUSA Georgia State Leadership & Skills Conference, Marcel says he wasn’t nervous but had set high expectations for himself. “I wanted to be perfect.”
Ja’Ron was more confident — overconfident even, he admits. “We had practiced hard and I knew our presentation sounded great. When you think about all that preparation and that you only have 10 minutes with the judges, I was like, this is what I’m here for.”
However, once inside the judging chamber, the pressure was on. “I was cold and then I was hot. I was going through it,” Ja’Ron says. “When we were finished, I felt like I had just gone through a war. It was like that 1,000-yard stare.”
When the winners were announced, the brothers were elated. Marcel recalls looking over at Ja’Ron with a huge smile.
“It was like, dang, we did it!” Ja’Ron adds.
Through the generous sponsorship of Liberty Regional Medical Center, in Hinesville, Georgia, all the LCCA gold medalists will attend the National Leadership & Skills Conference and compete in the SkillsUSA Championships for their respective competition.
Completing the Circle
While her sons were competing at state in the high school division at one hotel, Corina was speaking at a SkillsUSA competition for college students at a different location. The moment her presentation concluded, she dashed to where the awards ceremony would take place.
“I watched them go on stage and when they came out, they were so excited they almost knocked me over. I was crying and I was so proud,” she says.
As a former competitor and now a national officer with SkillsUSA, Corina says she is heavily invested with the organization. “I have found my passion,” she says. But it was in leading by example where she’s found the greatest satisfaction.
A teen mother and high school drop-out, Corina spent her 20s working hard and raising her children. In her 30s once her business was up-and-running, she finally felt like she had the time to go to college.
“I knew I didn’t want just a piece of paper; a diploma. I wanted the experience I never got,” Corina says, and threw herself into student government, clubs and competing with SkillsUSA. “When I went to my first state conference, I was completely wowed. As a mother, I was watching these high school students build amazing things. My heart was absolutely moved.”
She pursued the role of chapter president and was then elected state president, where she had the chance to speak to lawmakers and education department heads about the importance of career and technical education training.
“SkillsUSA is not just competitions and chapters, it is building students into career ready leaders. It is all these things that our working force needs,” Corina says. “As a business owner, I know when I am hiring what I’m looking for: things like taking responsibility and accountability for their work, and good communication. These are things that SkillsUSA teaches students.”
Currently she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science and has set her sights on policymaking and advocating in the education arena.
But it is the full circle moment she’s looking forward to most — when her sons compete in the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, where she will also be on stage speaking to over 19,000 people as a national officer.
“There have been so many accomplishments in my journey, but nothing like this. While I thought I was inspiring students at my college and in Georgia, all the while I was inspiring students in my own home and they are accomplishing great things.”
