Tifton man wins national drafting competition

Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, June 27, 2023

ATLANTA — A Tifton man has won the top prize across the nation in technical drafting at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, which culminated June 23.

Edward Rella is a recent graduate of Southern Regional Technical College.

In addition to the gold medal, Rella also earned the SkillsUSA Skill-Point Certificate for technical drafting. Skill Point Certificates are awarded only to SkillsUSA member students who reach or exceed a threshold score in a national championships contest.

“Competing at nationals was such an honor,” said Rella. “The competition was tough as nails and tested my capabilities in all aspects of technical drafting.”

Rella, who completed his drafting degree during the 2023 spring semester, has now completed two programs at Southern Regional Technical College, the college said in a press release. He first graduated from the welding program in 2019. In 2022, Rella returned to complete his Associate of Applied Science degree in Drafting Technology.

Rella has been a standout student at SRTC since he first enrolled, the college said. He was an SRTC Foundation scholarship recipient, he repeatedly earned spots on the President’s and Dean’s lists for academic excellence, he was a member of the National Technical Honor Society, and he is now a two-time honor graduate.

“Edward has a deceivingly laid-back personality,” said his drafting instructor Tammy Roberts. “Quiet, but always learning and curious about how to do something new or interesting with his knowledge and skills. He likes to push the capabilities of the CAD software. He’s been an amazing mentor for students in both programs. Edward has a passion for SkillsUSA. He has been a hands-on student since day one. He loves helping with career fairs and school visits to promote SRTC’s programs. Edward has always been eager to learn. He has a bright future ahead of him. We are very proud of him and his accomplishments.”

In addition to his drafting coursework at SRTC, Rella has gained tremendous practical experience as a draftsman for his employer, Atlas Greenhouse in Alapaha. There, he focuses on structural design, generating technical manuals, and creating unique drawings to meet their customers’ distinct needs. One of his drawings recently became an educator greenhouse for Fitzgerald High School.

“It is especially inspiring to see the projects that I have worked on becoming real life buildings,” he said. “Being there and seeing the final product was breathtaking in a way because I remember drawing it for them, solving problems, making it perfect on paper. Then I visited it in person, and it was just like I drew it!”

Edward and his wife Bailey reside in Tifton with their four dachshunds Jax, Teddy, Jane, and Tiny.

SkillsUSA is a national non-profit organization of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps high school and college students enrolled in career and technical education programs to excel by teaching employability skills such as communication, problem-solving, and leadership in conjunction with their trade, technical, and service occupations skills.