ATEC 2026 Award Winners Honored In Portland

Every ATEC award winner is exceptional—but even among the best, a few stand out.

Student of the Year: Micheal McDaniel
Micheal McDaniel, a student at Alabama Aviation College–Ozark, was named the 2026 ATEC Student of the Year. Set to earn his Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate this May, Micheal’s path to aviation maintenance has been anything but traditional.

After careers in food safety, business ownership, and commercial driving, Micheal chose to follow in his father’s footsteps—an Air Force A&P mechanic—and enrolled in aviation maintenance training in August 2024, balancing night classes with a full-time job.

Two years later, he’ll cross the graduation stage alongside his son, who is beginning his own journey in aviation maintenance.

“I definitely fit the category of that little older age group,” Micheal shared at the 2026 ATEC Annual Conference. “But honestly, my proudest thing is that when I walk across the stage, my son’s going to walk with me.”

Pictured: Ryan Goertzen, President, Choose Aerospace; John Gamble, Education Partnerships Manager, Snap-on; Gail Rouscher, Secretary, NRF; Micheal McDaniel, ATEC Student of the Year Award; Stan Smith, Director, Alabama Aviation College; Abbey Hutter, Marketing Coordinator, JSfirm

Educator of the Year: Osmin Ramirez
Osmin Ramirez of Universal Technical Institute was named the 2026 ATEC Educator of the Year for his innovative, real-world approach to instruction.

With more than eight years of civilian and military aviation maintenance experience, Ramirez has shifted classroom learning from lecture-based to scenario-driven, using real maintenance cases, system walkthroughs, and visual breakdowns to help students understand how—and why—aircraft systems function.

The result is clear: stronger engagement, improved confidence, and better preparedness for FAA testing and hands-on work. By emphasizing critical thinking over memorization, Ramirez is helping students build the skills they need to succeed in the field.

Pictured: Chris Pudduck, Program Manager – Aviation, Universal Technical Institute; Osmin Ramirez, ATEC Educator of the Year, Universal Technical Institute; Abbey Hutter, Marketing Coordinator, JSfirm

Award Winners:

• ATEC Student of the Year - Micheal McDaniel, Alabama Aviation College
• ATEC Educator of the Year - Osmin Ramirez, Universal Technical Institute
• Aviation Maintenance Training System Award - Maria Wilcox, University of Maine Augusta
• Dale Hurst Memorial Scholarship - Jason Leroy, CTEC Salem Keizer School District
• ATEC Academy Professional Development Award - James Hutches, CTEC Salem Keizer School District

ATEC extends its congratulations to each of our winners, and its gratitude to presenting award and scholarship sponsors JSfirm.com, Snap-on, NRF, Nida Corporation, and Avotek.