Local
Tiffin native is first in American history to score over 700 points in international WorldSkills competition
KAZAN, RUSSIA (TiffinOhio.net News) — A Tiffin native represented his country and hometown well at the WorldSkills Competition in Russia last week.
Dylan Wertz, 19, is the first in USA history to score 700 points or higher in an international competition as a member of the WorldSkillsUSA team. He has earned a medal of excellence for car painting at the 2019 WorldSkills Conference in Kazan, Russia.
This has placed him in seventh place out of 30.
After graduating from Tiffin Columbian High School, Dylan Wertz earned a full scholarship to Universal Technical Institute and graduated in automotive technology in 2018.
Having been passionate about cars his whole life, Dylan Wertz obtained his passion for car painting through countless hours of practice with his high school collision repair teacher, Carl Rusch.
“Mr. Rusch was a mentor in my life whose dedication to put in extra time with his students was a huge step to improving my knowledge. He helped get me to this point,” Wertz said.
Dylan has been involved with SkillsUSA since his junior year of high school, and he is excited for the opportunity to compete at WorldSkills. “It is a huge honor to represent the United States as a WorldSkills USA team member, and I am grateful to have made it this far.”
In the future, Dylan hopes to become a head painter in an accredited collision facility – and maybe even become an instructor to teach students to stay motivated, have fun, and respond to constructive feedback.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Its selected team members, with an average age of 19, are masters in their craft. Their dedication to training and perfecting their skills will be on display as they compete against peers from across the globe in a variety of intense skills challenges.
“They come from all corners of the country, they compete for different reasons, but they are all focused on one goal: standing atop the WorldSkills podium, a gold medal hanging around their neck, and honoring the American flag as ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ fills the conference center loudspeakers,” said SkillsUSA’s executive director, Tim Lawrence. “From mechanical engineering to hairdressing to aircraft maintenance, we’ve watched these competitors gain expertise and create purpose behind their passions. We’re thrilled the WorldSkills USA team will get the chance to represent their country while excelling at a skill they love.”
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