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Two Central Arizona College Aravaipa students will have a little help with their ongoing studies in welding thanks to the American Welding Society.
Late last month, a group of students from the welding class attended the 2019 Welders Without Borders: Welding Thunder team fabrication competition at the West-MEC Buckeye Southern campus. During the event a number of college students were interviewed as part of the selection process for an American Welding Society scholarship. Two of the welding students were selected to receive a scholarship. Welding Technology degree majors Morgan Bray and Dakota Willis, both former Ray High School CVIT CTE dual credit welding students, were selected based on their outstanding interview with AWS District 21 Director Samuel Lindsey.
Both are student members of the recently formed Central Arizona College Aravaipa American Welding Society Student Chapter and the SkillsUSA organization. Morgan is the chapter secretary and Dakota is the chapter treasurer. Both will receive $1,000 to help them to continue their welding studies at the CAC Aravaipa campus program.
The team self-funded their appearance at this competition with additional financial support from the UA Pipe Trades local #469 in Phoenix and the generous support of Professor and Mrs. Colton.
The students from CAC AVC competed with 15 other college and high school welding programs from around Arizona to fabricate a functioning go Go-Kart at this two day event. The team, with support from CAC welding faculty at Aravaipa and Signal Peak campuses, earned a silver rating at the event. The students are graded on the safe performance of multiple welding processes, required cuts needed to shape and weld the Go-Karts at the event from a set of plans they provided. All welding is performed outdoors using portable shop equipment they brought to the event. All work to be completed in the event parking lot, powered off of an engine drive welding machine alongside of the other teams. This is the eighth year for this event which is a youth build event that is part of the global mission of Welders Without Borders founded in 2000 by Professor Samuel Colton.
Congratulations to Morgan and Dakota on their scholarships and congratulations to the whole team on your outstanding silver win.
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