Sam Berryman, a first-year student at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, and 2023 graduate of Brandywine Heights High School and Berks Career Technical Center, has won the gold medal at the 2024 SkillsUSA Championship in masonry.
The competition, held between June 24-28 in Atlanta, GA, tested participants on their ability to meet industry standards in quality through the construction of a composite brick and block project within a six-hour period, in addition to a written exam. Competitors were judged on the most frequently used details in masonry construction.
The 2024 SkillsUSA Championships showcased 6,600 students from across the United States competing in 115 occupational and leadership skills areas. Sam’s accomplishment marks the first SkillsUSA gold medal for Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology’s masonry program and the first SkillsUSA gold medal in masonry for the state of Pennsylvania since 2007.
Sam has had a distinguished academic and competitive career in masonry. His previous accolades include a silver medal at the 2022 SkillsUSA Championships, a bronze medal at the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships, and three consecutive SkillsUSA Pennsylvania State Championships from 2022 to 2024.
Notably, he is only the second student nationally since 2004 to medal in both the high school and post-secondary categories of the masonry competition. Additionally, he has won two Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 Junior competitions, taking first place in the Northeast regional competition in 2022 and the Eastern PA regional in 2023.
In addition to Sam’s individual success, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology showcased an outstanding performance at the 2024 national competition, with five students earning medals—the highest number among the 19 Pennsylvania schools with medaling participants.
