Mark Roark Receives Statesman Award

Mark Roark of Mountain City, student in the Diesel Powered Equipment Technology Program, pictured on the left, became the first student at TTC-Elizabethton to receive the SkillsUSA Statesman Award. A panel of judges selected Roark for the award based on an essay and speech he delivered at the SkillsUSA Washington, D.C. Leadership Training Institute held recently.  Also pictured are Tim Lawrence, director of SkillsUSA, (middle) and John Lee, diesel instructor at TTC-Elizabethton. For additional information about SkillsUSA, click here www.ttcelizabethton.edu/skillsusa.

While in Washington, Roark met with U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and their staffs to discuss the importance of continued federal funding for vocational-technical education.  Roark, who is president of the National Technical Honor Society at TTC-Elizabethton, will be a delegate to the SkillsUSA Legislative Conference to be held in Murfreesboro in November.

A displaced construction worker, Roark enrolled at TTC-Elizabethton and received a diploma in Business System Technology in August of 2011.  After completing the 20-month Diesel Powered Equipment training program at TTC-Elizabethton, Roark plans to continue his education and obtain an associate degree as a Diesel Mechanic.