News Releases
News from
Lane Community College
Contact: Steve Webb, diesel technology instructor, (541) 463-5708
for release July 23, 2003
Diesel Tech student wins third in national competition
EUGENE - "It's the best we've ever done," says Lane Community
College diesel technology instructor Steve Webb. "Ryan is a natural."
He's talking about Ryan Sederlin of Leaburg, a second-year diesel technology
student at Lane. Last month, Sederlin and Webb traveled to Kansas City,
Missouri, for the SkillsUSA-VICA national vocational skills competition
sponsored by the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. Sederlin placed
third among 47 competitors in the post-secondary division.
He qualified for national competition in April when he won first place in the state competition. Two years earlier, he won first in state in the high-school division while a student at Thurston High.
A Lane student has won first place in the state VICA competition for the last four years, and 8th, 12th, and 3rd, respectively, in national competition for the last three years.
Webb attributes the success rate to student talent and dedication. Sederlin, for example, worked on lawnmowers and other engines since childhood and has worked for a logging company since he was 15. "It's what I love to do," he says. Sederlin has received job offers from the Caterpillar national office and local businesses.
VICA is a national organization for trade, industrial, technical, and health occupations students in public high schools, two-year colleges, and vocational schools. The organization enjoys strong industry support. "Corporate Caterpillar looks favorably on diesel programs across the country that are involved with SkillsUSA-VICA," says Webb. "In fact, it is a determining factor for the financial support that we have been so fortunate to receive for several years now."
Numerous local companies donate cash and equipment to Lane, and many serve on the program's advisory committee. In return, Lane provides a reliable source of highly-trained job candidates, and students have good employment opportunities upon graduation.
For more information about the diesel technology program at Lane, call the Advanced Technologies division at (541) 463-5380.
###
