ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Mikala Sposito, a 21-year-old from Dexter, Michigan, will become the first woman to represent the United States in welding at the WorldSkills Competition in China this September. Sposito, a student at Washtenaw Community College, earned the spot by winning the USA Weld Trials in Huntsville, Alabama, earlier this year.
"It was very, very close the whole time, but I was the one who made it to Shanghai," Sposito said. At the international competition, she will be evaluated on technical execution and craftsmanship under time constraints and international standards.
Sposito is the sixth Washtenaw Community College student to qualify in WorldSkills history. According to the college, it has produced more WorldSkills welding alumni than any other school in the U.S.
Among those alumni is Alex Pazkowski, who finished second in the WorldSkills welding competition in 2013 and now serves as Sposito's instructor and mentor. Pazkowski accompanied her to the American championships in Alabama and will coach her at competitions in Canada and Australia in the months leading up to the September event. "If you're successful, it's going to open up all kinds of doors for you," Pazkowski said.
Sposito practices welding 80 hours per week at the college. She fell in love with the craft at age 10. "Welding doesn't take any brute strength or anything. It's actually very fine and precise," she said.
The trip to China will be Sposito's first time traveling abroad. Her near-term goal is to earn a bachelor's degree in welding engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit, and her long-term plans might include teaching at Washtenaw Community College.