Will Inman, right, on the podium at the NYS SkillsUSA Championships in Syracuse.

Columbia High School senior Will Inman ’23 won a bronze medal in HVAC at the 2023 NYS SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Championships last week in Syracuse. He qualified for the state championships by winning the SkillsUSA Area III Regional competition in March.

SkillsUSA competitions provide a showcase for students to display their skills learned through career and technical education.

During the state competition, contestants took a written test and then completed a circuit of different stations where they were tested in their knowledge of HVAC such as heat pumps, propane furnaces, window air conditioner units and compressors.

“It was fun,” he said. “I thought of it as a learning experience.”

For the past two years, Mr. Inman has attended technical education classes in the HVAC and Renewable Energies program through Questar III BOCES at the Robert H. Gibson Technical School in Troy. He receives classroom instruction and training for HVAC for half of the day at that school and attends regular classes at Columbia for the other half of the day.

As part of his technical education classes, Mr. Inman has learned about the design, installation and repair of HVAC systems and emerging technologies. He also has a part-time job installing HVAC systems for a local company.

Following graduation in June, Mr. Inman plans on attending SUNY Delhi to study Plumbing and HVAC.

Congratulations!