STOUGHTON, Wis. – Wanda White certainly knows her way around a blowtorch and she’s using her decades of experience as a welder to spark the interest of high schoolers across Dane County.
Last year, after spending almost thirty years working for Stoughton Trailers, White came back from retirement to help the young girls following in her footsteps break barriers in the industry.
“I love doing what I do,” she said. “I just had so much fun with the girls matter fact I love those girls.”
White will be teaching the Dane County School Consortium’s class “Welding for Women” once again through mid Nov. The career exploration course is one of several run by the consortium to promote non-traditional occupations among students.
Consortium director Josh Fassl said when Stoughton Trailers Administrator Roxanne Betts reached out to him having learned about their all girls automotive he was thrilled. Betts wanted to build a similar program for female welders.
“I was like yes!” He said. “We have students who love to weld and we just don’t have enough welding opportunities for them so for Stoughton trailers to step and say ‘we want to bring these students in’ it was fantastic opportunity.”
As for White, through her decades at Stoughton trailers she came to be known as quite the expert but as one of only a few women in her field, especially in the 90s, that respect was hard earned.
“They look at your work and then they look at theirs and they say ‘oh well you know what may she’s—she can do this’ and I’m looking at them like ‘yeah I can do this,” she said. “You couldn’t stop me. I was on a mission.”
Now she’s hoping to help make it easier for other women wanting to pursue a career in the industry. Deerfield High School sophomore Makayla Waack is one of those women. She along with seven other teens signed up for the course.
“I love Wanda and she was just so funny. She’s been amazing,” Waack said. “Honestly I feel like a grown up adult here.”
Fellow participant Marshall High School junior Navy Held said she signed up for the class because she was excited to learn about how much of an impact welding has in the world. She also said on Wednesday after only one day she was already having fun.
“I think it’s helping me not be as nervous,” Held said, “to be able to weld with other people because it’s a bunch of girls.”
White said seeing the excitement her students have for a career she’s dedicated so much too, makes her job as a welder and teacher all the more rewarding.
The “Welding for Women” class ran for the first time in Oct. 2021, White is teaching the course for the second time. In addition to welding the Dane Co. School Consortium also operates construction, automotive, pharmacy and veterinary courses.
The group plans to hold a career exploration fair called “Future Quest.” on Nov 29. Fassl said they hope to bring over one hundred companies to the Aliant Energy Center to engage with every 7th and 8th graders in Dane County–about 5 thousand students.
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