Trending with a Trade

A student from North Dakota State College of Science shares her passion about contributing to the manufacturing industry

By Andrew Weeks

WAHPETON, N.D. • Amanda Mittlestadt wants to be a teacher, like one of the many influential mentors who have blessed her life. But a shorter term goal of the soon-to-be graduate of North Dakota State College of Science is to be a toolmaker and welder.

“I want to get industry experience, explore all of the different routes and try to get a grasp on all of that,” she said in an interview with Prairie Business on Feb. 28. “And then eventually I want to teach and help students like my instructors did for me.”

Mittlestadt graduated from NDSCS in 2018 with a welding degree but came back last year to pursue a degree in precision machining. She will graduate with that degree in May.

“Welding and machining are both great trades and they kind of go hand-in-hand,” she said. “I thought about doing a year of machining, but then I loved it and was like, I might as well come back for a second year and finish it out. So that's where I'm at right now.”

She’s become deeply passionate about the trade and wants to give back to the manufacturing sector by using her skills in the industry. What’s more, she’s already started doing just that.

Mittlestadt works part-time as a toolmaker at ComDel Innovation in Wahpeton. Once she graduates, she’ll move into full-time work at the manufacturing company.

She’s a modest, unassuming student, but knows her ambition and skills will serve her well, including her leadership experience, and be a boon to an industry she has come to love.

For starters, “I've done a lot of stuff on campus,” she said.

“Amanda has taken on extra duties as a welding instructor/coun- selor for a number of outreach activities that are designed to provide welding industry experience for students in 7-12 grade,” said NDSCS instructor Clint Gilbertson, associate professor of welding technology.

“The U.S. has a great deficit of skilled workers and it is going to take bright young people like Amanda to help replace an aging workforce and lead the country into the future.”

Among her many accomplishments so far, this is Mittlestadt’s second year as president of the school’s honor society and she serves as president of the machinist’s club. She also was an officer in the welding club and was in science leadership for two years.

“I'm used to the leadership roles,” she said. “I'm not afraid of some hard work.”

Leadership and hard work are traits she learned from others, as well as finding them innate in herself. She said she was drawn to manufacturing, particularly welding, at an early age, in part thanks to her father, Steven Mittlestadt, and uncle Jason Stanfill. She used to spend time in the family garage in her hometown of Glendive, Mont., working on vehicles, and her dad noticed she had a knack for working with metal and prodded her to pursue it in school. Stanfill did much the same, saying, “‘Hey, you should look into this.’ I did and haven’t looked back since,” Amanda said.

Her dedication to the craft is apparent at school, work or on her own time. At those times when she is free from assignments or work responsibilities, she still somehow finds herself welding or machining, often doing projects for family and friends – such as making signs for businesses, helping to construct posts and barriers for a carwash, or welding a metal plate so that a cousin could better align drill holes to install flagpoles in a building.

Is there ever a time when too much welding is too much welding? “No,” she answered quickly, “it just makes me want more of it.”

That’s the kind of passion the industry needs. It’s the kind that, according to another instructor, will serve her well when she’s full time in the workforce.

“I believe she is a strong person with great leadership skills and with her diverse education in manufacturing will probably climb the ladder of success quite quickly,” said Joel Johnson, associate professor of welding.

Mittlestadt will graduate on May 16; after that she’ll join the workforce as a full-time employee in North Dakota’s manufacturing industry.

“The precision machining industry is in dire need of quality talent to keep companies growing and moving forward,” said Lincoln Thompson, associate professor of precision machining technology. “Industry needs intelligent people like Amanda who are able and willing to continue to enhance their technical skills, along with growing their leadership abilities, to lead us into the future.”

Mittlestadt’s focus is clear, but she’s not overstepping her bounds. She knows graduation comes first, and right now she’s enjoying her remaining days at school.

“We get to work on pretty much state-of-the-art machines and we’re being taught by some of the best instructors,” she said. “They're willing to go above and beyond. If you have questions they're right there to help you out and just make sure everything is crystal clear before you proceed with a project.”