Congratulations Fe Lorraine Aguinaldo! Thank you Metro Ed!

Congratulations to Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE) Dental Assisting and Milpitas High School student,
Fe Lorraine Aguinaldo,
​on placing 2nd in the nation in Dental Assisting at the SkillsUSA National Competition in Kentucky, June 20-24.

Aguinaldo said she was shocked and surprised when they announced her name as the silver medal winner. The high school senior said she is very proud of her accomplishment.

“For Fe to place nationally is extremely exceptional,” Aguinaldo’s SVCTE Dental Assisting instructor, Michelle Sugden, said. She explained that Aguinaldo competed against high school students from other schools nationwide who take Dental Assisting courses for up to three years, several hours a day.

The Dental Assisting portion of the competition consisted of both a hands-on and written exam. Aguinaldo said that the hands-on portion of the test took 5 1⁄2 hours and consisted of 18 different testing stations. The testing stations included taking impressions, identifying dental tools, x-rays, and chairside assistance. For the written exam, she had to display a wide range of dental terminology and dental knowledge. Sugden and Aguinaldo prepared together for the competition throughout the school year and summer. Sugden attended the competition with Aguinaldo and said the entire experience was “fantastic.”

Aguinaldo said that after high school, she would like to first work as a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) and then continue her education to become a dentist. She said she is currently saving money to take the classes needed for the RDA certification.

Aguinaldo is the first student from SVCTE to ever place in the top three at the SkillsUSA National Competition in Dental Assisting. A total of five students from SVCTE competed at National SkillsUSA in the areas of Dental, Medical Terminology, Medical Assisting, and Carpentry. MetroED Superintendent, Alyssa Lynch said she is proud of SVCTE’s team of students who competed and for the professionalism they showed during the competitions.

SkillsUSA is a national organization for Career Technical Education (CTE) students within trade, technical, industrial and health occupations. Annual competitions are held to encourage students to challenge themselves within their chosen technical careers.

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MetroED provides career technical education and adult education programs to over 11,500 students in Santa Clara County. MetroED’s programs include Silicon Valley Career Technical Education Center (SVCTE), formerly known as Central County Occupational Center (CCOC), and Silicon Valley Adult Education (SVAE), formerly known as the Metropolitan Adult Education Program (MAEP).