Assiniboine student wins silver medal at Skills Canada competition

Assiniboine Community College student Javier Gutierrez won the silver medal in Network Administration Technology at the Skills Canada National Competition held in Edmonton earlier this week.

Gutierrez and four other Assiniboine students won gold at the Skills Manitoba competition in April and represented Manitoba at the national competition.

“Today I stand as the second-best IT Networking Administration Student in Canada, an honour that I will always have with me no matter where I go. All I can say is, with hard work and dedication, you can make your dreams come true,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez and his family have lived in Brandon since 2012, after fleeing their native Cuba. In an interview with the Brandon Sun last year, Gutierrez recalled that even buying a pair of shoes was a luxury for the family when they were living in Cuba.

Jill Ferguson, Assiniboine’s technology chairperson, said the college “is exceptionally proud of Javier’s silver medal. Javier’s achievement is a testament to his hard work, dedication, and a desire to do great things, which are skills that we impart on a daily basis across all of our programs at Assiniboine Community College.”

Gutierrez will graduate from Assiniboine’s Network Administration Technology program on June 14. He has already obtained full-time employment with Westman Communications Group.

Since 2005, Assiniboine students have brought home three gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze medals from Skills Canada.

Photo: Assiniboine Community College student Javier Gutierrez displays the Manitoba flag as he wins the silver medal in Network Administration Technology at the Skills Canada National Competition in Edmonton earlier this week.