Northeast graduate secures national honor for power equipment knowledge

July 25, 2025

Could you diagnose and fix a broken weedeater in 30 minutes in front of national judges?
 
Northeast High School graduate Jaxson was able to accomplish that and other small-engine feats in award-winning style this summer.
 
Jaxson relied on a full toolbox of skilled and technical sciences knowledge to win a silver medal at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta. He captured second place in the Power Equipment Technology contest by showcasing his expertise on both written and hands-on tests. Repairing a wrecked weedeater was one of nine challenges that he completed during the competition, which featured state champions from across the country.

 
Northeast SkillsUSA Advisor Sarahi Lopez said it was exciting to watch Jaxson become a national medalist. She said his curiosity and resourcefulness gave him an upper hand in the contest.
 
“He’s the type of person who’s willing to work hard and who has initiative and all of those life skills that people want in the workplace,” Lopez said. “Not a lot of people have problem-solving skills these days, and he has them. That just puts him ahead of so many of his peers.”
 
Jaxson said it was a surreal feeling being at the awards ceremony. Students and advisors kept their eyes glued to a large screen to learn who would be national finalists in each category. After they gathered on stage, they discovered their place in real time from SkillsUSA leaders.
 
“I remember standing up on stage, and I thought I had third place, because I didn’t think I had placed originally,” Jaxson said. “I remember seeing someone walk up to receive third place, and I thought, ‘Oh wow, I got something more than that.’ Then I heard my name called for second place and walked up to receive it. It was a really cool experience.”

 
Competitors in the Power Equipment Technology event had to first complete a written test about many types of small engines. They answered 60 questions about the mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems associated with two-stroke and four-stroke diesel engines and battery-powered equipment.
 
Everyone then solved nine hands-on problems that they could encounter in a dealership’s service department. They diagnosed electronic fuel-injected engines, assembled the bottom end of a small engine and wired a circuit based on a wiring diagram. They also had to identify what was wrong with a broken weedeater, replace the faulty parts and make it run again in just a half-hour.
 
Jaxson said the stations were both fun and challenging. The enjoyable part was solving puzzles with tools like pliers, wire brushes and screwdrivers. The stressful part was looking up at the clock and realizing there were only five minutes left to finish the work.
 
“It really tested your brain on what you know about it,” Jaxson said. “You can give someone a new part and a wrench and say put this on, and a lot of people can do it, but the tricky part is finding what is wrong with it and figuring out what to do.”

 
Lopez said Jaxson’s willingness to ask questions paid off once he arrived in Georgia. He reached out before the contest to Waverly High School graduate Garret Hartweg, who earned the 2024 national Power Equipment Technology title. He also spoke with Lynn Kaufmann, who coordinated this year’s Nebraska-based contest, to gain additional insight about how to prepare for nationals.
 
“He’s the type of person that if he doesn’t know it, he’ll go and figure it out,” Lopez said. “He takes the initiative.”
 
Jaxson grew up spending time in the garage with his father, who taught him hundreds of lessons about the mechanics-based trade. Those moments not only gave him valuable hours with his dad, but they also laid the foundation for his future SkillsUSA success.
 
“When I was younger, I was the kid who was always into cars and everybody else was into sports, and I kind of thought at first, ‘Where is my place here?’” Jaxson said. “Once I got into high school and started competing, now I could show that this is the meaning behind it. I was able to find my place.”
 
Jaxson will begin a two-year apprenticeship at a local aviation company later this summer. He plans to become a licensed airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic and will work on turbine engines of aircraft.
 
Lopez said Jaxson’s engine-based talents are giving him more than a SkillsUSA medal. They are also helping him create a high-flying future in Nebraska.
 
“Not a lot of people place at nationals,” Lopez said. “Now he has that opportunity for him to put it on his resume and say I’m a national medalist.”
 
Numerous LPS students earned recognition at the Nebraska SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Championships earlier this spring. View this story to learn more about their accomplishments.

Want to discover more about student organizations like SkillsUSA that are available at LPS? Visit https://home.lps.org/cte/student-organizations/ to learn about career and technical education groups such as FBLA, FCCLA, DECA, HOSA, Educators Rising and FFA.
 
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