Fleming students strike gold at skills competition

Fleming College students took home three gold medals from the Skills Ontario Competition earlier this month.

The competition was held May 3 and was conducted virtually this year as a COVID-19 pandemic preventive measure.

One of the gold medal winners was culinary management student Mai Dong, who says that mastering the culinary arts requires more than good knife skills and a decent recipe.

It requires focus and the will to retry when you don’t succeed.

“Every time I fail or every time something is not right, my instructors say, ‘It’s OK, we’ll try it again,’ ” Dong stated in a release from the college. “And that’s what we do.”

Carpentry and renovation student Bailey Wodzak and heating, refrigeration and air conditioning technician student Luc Trottier also nabbed gold medals.

The Skills Ontario Competition is the largest trades and technologies competition in Canada, bringing together skilled trades students from across the province.

The challenge gives students a chance to demonstrate that they are the best of the best as they showcase their talents in front of judges, educators and even prospective employers.

Three other Fleming students were also recognized for their outstanding performance at Skills Ontario.

Carpentry student Maclaren Zbieranek and heating, refrigeration and air conditioning technician student Jersey Phin were each awarded silver medals. Welding and fabrication technician student Jack Banister won a bronze medal.

Dong and Wodzak now join Team Ontario and will compete at the Skills Canada National Competition in Vancouver from May 25 to 28.

Dong said she is excited, and a little nervous, for that next challenge.

She has been practising her gold-medal menu all week, coming in each day to perfect each dish, even as she attends her regular weekly culinary classes.

It is hard work, she said, but her classmates and her instructors have encouraged her every step of the way.

“I’m lucky because I have this whole team supporting me, and telling me I can do this,” Dong said.

Fleming College culinary management student Mai Dong, an international student, is one of three Fleming College students to take home a gold medal at the Skills Ontario Competition earlier this month.