What to know:
- Dexter native Mikala Sposito, 21, made history by becoming the first woman to win a medal in welding at the WorldSkills competition, held last month in Shanghai, China.
- Sposito won the bronze medal at the international competition, often called the “Olympics of the skilled trades.”
- Her welding journey began at age 10 after seeing a welding display at the Henry Ford Museum and deciding she wanted to become a welder.
- She gained hands-on experience in high school while balancing classes, track practice, and welding training at Washtenaw Community College (WCC).
- Sposito has applied her welding skills in the aerospace industry and is now in her third year at WCC.
- Hard work helped set her apart. Her former instructor and mentor, Alex Paszkowski, said she regularly trained late into the night to hone her skills.
- She plans to continue her education by completing her associate degree at WCC before pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Wayne State University.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mikala Sposito first got the spark to become a welder when she was 10 years old and spotted a display at the Henry Ford Museum.
“I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” Sposito, 21, said on Thursday. “When I went home, I was like, ‘I’m going to be a welder when I grow up.’”
Sposito has used her welding skills working in aerospace. Now, in her third year at Washtenaw Community College, the Dexter native has become one of the best in the world at competitive welding…