UCS student becomes first female competitor to win her division at welding competition

SHELBY TOWNSHIP/STERLING HEIGHTS/UTICA — Stevenson High School Manufacturing, Automation and Design Engineering senior Kayli Nguyen won first place in the gas tungsten arc welding division at the 2022 Ferris State Secondary Welding Competition May 6, making her the first female competitor to win that division in the competition’s history.

Nguyen now is one of five female students to win a division during the competition’s 18 years.

Nguyen competed against 25 students to win the GTAW division. A total of 117 students from 30 schools competed across the competition’s five different divisions. Nguyen was joined at the competition by four classmates and two teachers, Jesse Siress and Kallan Kriewall.

Nguyen said she was very surprised to win.

“It was surreal. When my name showed up on the board, my friend said I looked like a ghost, and they shook me to have me go up and get my award. I cried a little bit; it was crazy,” she said.

She said it was emotional for her because it showed her that all her work paid off.

“At the last competition, I didn’t place, so I was pretty upset by that and doubting my skills a little bit. This solidified that I’m actually good at what I do,” she said.

She said it was a good way to close out her senior year.

“I’m going to go to Michigan State, so I’m going to see if I can get a job welding up there, but ultimately I plan to pursue veterinary studies,” she said.

Nguyen said that, at first, she was terrified of welding.

“I was so scared of the sparks. When I went to go try it, I pressed the trigger and saw sparks, which made me jump. After a while, I got used to the sparks and got acclimated to it. I got started on gas metal arc welding, but then (Kriewall) asked me to try GTAW welding. So I got started, and the first thing I did was a lap joint, which is still my favorite joint today,” she said.

She said she liked gas tungsten arc welding because it was especially precise and she had a lot more control versus other types of welding where she only had control of the speed.

“I fell in love with GTAW welding and decided I wanted to do fabrication as my major. Even though I may not have wanted to go into engineering, I wanted to do fabrication because I loved it so much,” she said.

She said that success at welding takes lots of practice.

“A lot of people tell you it’s talent, but it’s really all about practice and understanding how it works. For instance, when welding steel versus aluminum, there are different kinds of processes to how you weld them. Like with aluminum, you can’t just start welding right away, as you can with steel. You have to wait a little bit and let it heat up because it fuses differently,” she said.

She said she plans to go to Michigan State University to study to become a veterinarian — an anesthesiologist for animals.

“I want to see if I can get a job up there in welding to do as a hobby,” she said.

Kriewall, Stevenson MADE instructor, said he competed at Ferris State University when he was a student.

“It’s something that gives you a view of what a college-level competition is like. It gives the students the opportunity to see how they can advance,” he said.

He said Nguyen was a student during his first year when he started teaching, and right from the get-go, they started to get a game plan going. He said Nguyen focused on her welding, and the results were excellent.

“To the point where she is better than me at some things, which is exciting as an instructor because you know you’re doing your job right. It’s very rewarding to see,” he said.

Kriewall graduated from Henry Ford II High School in 2019 and was enrolled in the welding program at Stevenson High School before the MADE program was introduced. He was taught by Siress, who is now the Stevenson MADE fabrication instructor.

Kriewall said a lot of people aren’t familiar with competitions in welding.

“There’s so much science that goes into it — its consistency, how straight and aesthetically pleasing you can make it, but also structural strength. They judge them physically, aesthetically, make sure your settings are right, material preparation to ensure contamination doesn’t take place — so there’s actually a lot that you can judge and compare to others, turning it into a cool competition,” he said.

There are multiple categories that everyone studies: oxygen acetylene welding, gas tungsten arc welding, shielded metal arc welding and gas metal arc welding. At the Ferris State competition, there are all of these categories and a combined welding category, but each school can only bring five of its best students, so it’s an honor just to go to the competition.

He said Nguyen is extremely focused, and she came into the program knowing nothing about welding.

“Kayli would pre-cut her metal, make a bunch of welds, then come get me and pick my brain. Really, it’s through trial and error. Welding is like a signature or handwriting; everyone’s welds are a little different and no one’s welds will look the same, so you have to judge on not necessarily the aesthetics of what you would do, but structurally what a weld should be,” he said.