College student Mikala Sposito grew up dreaming of being a trailblazer and she is officially set to realize her ambition.
The 21-year-old from Dexter, Michigan, will represent the United States in welding at the WorldSkills Competition in China after winning the USA Weld Trials in Alabama. She will become the first woman ever to represent the US at the global competition.
“I always wanted to be the first female to do something,” she said. “It was very, very close the whole time, but I was the one who made it to Shanghai.”
WorldSkills, the “Olympics of skilled trades,” determines global excellence in technical disciplines like construction, IT, manufacturing, and robotics.
Sposito, a student at Washtenaw Community College, is the sixth pupil from her institution to qualify. WCC is known for producing more WorldSkills welding alumni than any other US school.
Her instructor and mentor, Alex Pazkowski, a former WorldSkills runner-up, will coach her through intense preparation.
Pazkowski acknowledges the “long, hard road” ahead but emphasized the rewards: “At the end of the day, if you’re successful, it’s gonna open up all kinds of doors for you.”
Evaluation will focus on technical execution, craftsmanship, and stringent international standards.
Sposito is eager to test her skills globally and travel abroad for the first time. She said she trains up to 80 hours a week after first getting interested in welding in 2014, when she came across a American Welding Society career trailer with a virtual welding simulator while attending an event at the Henry Ford Museum with her parents.
While recognizing her pioneering role, Sposito downplays welding’s gender aspect.
“I don’t see the gender aspect of it. I mean, welding doesn’t take any brute strength or anything. It’s actually very fine and precise,” she said.
She acknowledges women are a minority in the field she fell in love with at age 10.
“Being the first female to do it is very cool,” Sposito added, hoping her success will pave the way for others.
Her near-term goal is a bachelor’s degree in welding engineering. Long-term, she aspires to teach at WCC and said she is happy to be “inspirational for many women in the trades who have possibly struggled.”
The 48th WorldSkills Competition will take place from September 22 to 27.