Date of Event: 02/26/2026
Location: nexAir Warehouse, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Number of Attendees: 31
Presenter/Notable Guest(s): Viji Kuruvilla, District 17 Director
Nick Garner, Central Arkansas Section Chair
Randy Carr, SkillsUSA Coach and West Greers Ferry School District Teacher
CJ Parks, Skills USA Winner
Event Summary: The AWS Central Arkansas Section was pleased to have special guests CJ Parks and Randy Carr from the West Side School District as guests for the February 26, 2026 section meeting. CJ is a SkillsUSA Arkansas and SkillsUSA Winner and Mr. Carr is his coach. District 17 Director, Viji Kuruvilla, presented CJ with an American Welding Society competition scholarship, and presented an award of appreciation to Mr. Carr for his long time dedication to his students and to advancing the welding trade.
Also in attendance were students from Cabot High School and Wilbur D. Mills University Studies High School in the Pulaski County Special School District. Students and their teachers were able to hear from CJ and Mr. Carr about the opportunities available to high school students through SkillsUSA Arkansas.
As a note, CJ is in the final round of SkillsUSA competition (top 3), and the winner will represent the United States at the 2026 WorldSkills competition in Shanghai. The competition begins on Monday, March 2 in Huntsville, Alabama and will conclude on Thursday, March 5.
