Michigan Student to Be First Woman Representing U.S. in Welding at WorldSkills

A 21-year-old community college student from Dexter, Michigan, will be the first woman to represent the United States in welding at the WorldSkills Competition in China. The event is described as the Olympics of the skilled trades and covers disciplines including construction, information technology, manufacturing and robotics.

Sposito, a student at Washtenaw Community College, earned the spot by winning the USA Weld Trials in Huntsville, Alabama, earlier this year. She said the competition was very close throughout but that she was the one who advanced to the event in Shanghai.

Sposito is the sixth student from Washtenaw Community College to qualify for WorldSkills. The college has produced more WorldSkills welding participants than any other school in the United States.

Sposito practices welding 80 hours per week at the college. One of her instructors, who finished second in the 2013 competition, will serve as her coach for a series of events leading up to the September competition in China. The schedule includes competitions in Canada and Australia. She will be judged on technical execution and craftsmanship under strict time limits and international standards.

Sposito said she does not focus on the gender aspect of her participation. She described welding as a fine and precise skill rather than one requiring brute strength. She added that being the first woman to compete is very cool and that she hopes her success will be inspirational for other women in the trades.

Her immediate goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in welding engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit. Longer term, she may consider teaching at Washtenaw Community College.