Melding Art & Welding Creates Medal-Worthy Sculpture

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“So many of the professors at CLC create a classroom environment, even online, that allows students to comfortably struggle, learn and succeed.” – Annie Ahern

“We learned a lot about what it takes to design and build a product as a member of an engineering team,” he notes. “The college has made it a priority to help students develop the skills employers want—and SkillsUSA definitely helped prepare us for the challenges we’re likely to encounter in our engineering careers.”

Thousands of students like Otterbacher and Zarinana compete in SkillsUSA championships annually, racing against the clock and one another to demonstrate their expertise in fields as diverse as computer-aided drafting, culinary arts, electronics, medical assisting and precision machining. The competitions—held in partnership with industry representatives, trade associations and labor organizations—are designed to inspire students to strive

Moises Mercado showed off his welding sculpture talents on the state and national stages competing in SkillsUSA, winning the welding sculpture state championship and placing tenth in the national competition. An artist before beginning the welding program at CLC, Mercado combined his two interests together while at the college to form his new passion and career.

MELDING

ART & WELDING

Right: Mercado originally came to CLC to study fire science, but soon discovered he enjoyed working with his hands at an auto shop. From there, he found his interest in welding.

CREATES MEDAL-WORTHY SCULPTURE

“If I’m famous for my art in 30 years, it will be because of my CLC classes and supportive teachers that started it all,” Mercado said. “The instructors here are awesome and helped build my confidence. They really pushed me to be creative and do my own thing.”

Mercado works as a fabricator and does his art on the side, but he hopes to become successful enough to make art his full-time job.

for excellence, involve industry leaders in evaluating student performance and help foster the development of a workforce equipped with the skills employers need.

“SkillsUSA showcases the knowledge and skills we teach in the classroom,” says CLC SkillsUSA Coordinator Eric Anderson. “These competitions enable students to supplement what they’ve learned from their coursework with hands-on experience. Although 2021 was an exception because of the pandemic, they also offer invaluable networking opportunities for everyone involved.”

Regardless of who wins at a SkillsUSA competition, says CLC Vice President of Education and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Sonya Williams, every student benefits.

“It’s so important for our students to gain real-world experience beyond the classroom, our campuses and even our country’s borders,” she says. “We have many programs that make this kind of experiential learning possible, from SkillsUSA to apprenticeships that combine career-related classroom instruction with on-the-job training to study-abroad opportunities in France, Japan, Mexico, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.”

In recent years, CLC’s leadership has made it a priority to provide more avenues for learning beyond the classroom. This objective is close to the heart of Engineering, Math and Physical Sciences Division Dean Dr. Richard Ammon. It’s the driving force behind the college’s increasing emphasis on SkillsUSA participation.

“Although much of our previous involvement has been concentrated in the STEM disciplines, there are many SkillsUSA competitions that complement other academic and career paths at CLC, including 3D visualization and animation, commercial baking, communication arts, culinary arts, cybersecurity, First Aid/CPR, HVAC and medical assisting.” – Dr. Richard Ammon

Over the past year, Ammon has been making a concerted effort to raise awareness of the many benefits of SkillsUSA participation among CLC faculty and students, as well as local employers.

“It’s about so much more than the competition,” he emphasizes. “Participants develop workplace and technical skills, gain leadership experience and interact with potential future employers in business and industry. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to foster the development of a skilled, world-class workforce—a goal that aligns perfectly with CLC’s mission. It’s about connecting the world of school with the world of work.”

Middle Top: Growing up with two artistic parents, Mercado always had art in his life. He has a natural interest in drawing, and it’s helped him in sketching out projects before he crafts them. He chose an owl for the competition because he loves animals and owls have a lot of myths and omens surrounding them.

Middle Bottom: While taking his welding courses at CLC, he found his passion during the final project of his fabrication class. “One of the final projects was to make something creative, so I welded a sunflower and dragonfly. I was surprised by how well they came out, and it took off from there.”

Left: After seeing Mercado’s sculptures, welding instructor and department chair, Karsten Illg, recommended he compete in SkillsUSA. “Having Moises in the welding program was quite enjoyable. It was obvious early on his artistic abilities could be applied to metal working,” Illg said.