Conversation with peer helps talented welder
picture herself in male-dominated field
In the 10 years Darin Owens has been leading the Metropolitan Community College Welding Academy, he estimates he’s helped 250 high school students make wind chimes as their first project of the dual enrollment program.
In his time at MCC, Owens has seen the Welding Technology program, the industry and even his own opinions evolve. When Owens started as a welding instructor at MCC, the high school academy had 12 seats open for 65 applications. Offering the academy at Fort Omaha and on the South Omaha Campus has since doubled the student count for the program. That’s an important influx of students learning the trade. According to the American Welding Society, more than 20% of the welding workforce is 55 years of age or older.
In addition to the program’s growth, Owens is also glad to see wages improve in the field and the workforce demographics shifting to a more inclusive makeup — 30% of welders are nonwhite or of multiple races and 5% are women.
“It’s still a heavily male-dominated industry, but employers are more open to hiring women. I probably wasn’t the proponent of women in our industry that I am today — my opinions have changed. Women make great welders,” Owens said.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy to join the club.
Owens has at least one female student in nearly every welding academy — having just 1 in 12 is a higher ratio than is represented in the current workforce. The typical experience of a woman in the welding profession is to enter it without a gender peer.
That’s why Owens has a growing contact list in his phone of MCC women welding alumni to call on when he thinks one of his current female students could benefit from hearing from a voice that isn’t male. The voice of a woman who has navigated the “manscape” to a rewarding career in this highly technical trade.
Connecting with other female welders is something Hannah Wieczorek has appreciated along the way to her associate degree in Welding Technology. The 2024 Gretna High School graduate earned the degree on Aug. 15, a day before leaving for Wayne State College to pursue a bachelor’s in industrial management.
At Wieczorek’s high school graduation party in May, her table included three welding sculptures she presented at SkillsUSA competitions over the past three years, with each finished piece showing the progression of her talent and a glimpse into her personal passion — a saddle, a cowgirl hat and cowgirl boots. When Wieczorek left for Wayne, the horseback rider and barrel racer had to leave behind her two horses, Whisper and Dolly.
The metal boots with copper accents Wieczorek made earned her a gold medal at SkillsUSA Nebraska and a trip to SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta. She also served as a SkillsUSA Nebraska state officer as a student representative in 2024 and was the president of Gretna High School’s SkillsUSA chapter, organizing social events and fundraisers to support student participation at the annual conference.
Those degrees, leadership experiences and personal accolades may not have happened had Wieczorek, 17, not connected with 2021 MCC Welding Technology grad Hannah Harvey. The 23-year-old Harvey, who came to MCC via an Avenue Scholars scholarship, helped start the fabrication shop at Lanoha Nursery, where she creates custom lawn décor for customers and repairs equipment the landscaping crew “is always breaking.”
Handrails she made at her first job out of college are touched by thousands of visitors every year at the sea lion exhibit at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
Harvey said she is always available when Owens asks if she’d have a conversation with one of his female students. Harvey stopped by after class and had a message ready for Wieczorek, who was questioning whether she would fit in with the workforce if she continued on a welding pathway.
“Yes, you’re going to go through adversity and run into people that don’t believe you can do what you say you can do, but I wanted her to know she has every right to be there just as much as the guys do. As long as she’s there to do what she signed up for and is putting out her best, then she shouldn’t have any problems,” Harvey said.
Wieczorek said she was feeling out of place in the shop setting when her conversation with Harvey started. Two hours later, she was feeling a lot better.
“It was just girl talk. It made me feel like I’m not alone,” Wieczorek said.
Wieczorek said she’s glad she stuck with it, not just for the experience she has developed, but also for the “warmup” to college. When she left for Wayne State, she had confidence in her ability as a college student, easing the transition to the next phase of her life.
“I really liked the career academy and a lot of my friends wish they would have done one like I did because it’s a nice way to ease into college. I wanted to earn the full associate degree before going to Wayne, so I took some night and online classes and learned time management,” Wieczorek said. “I feel like I’m ready for college, so now it’s just campus life I’m nervous about because I’ve never been in a dorm or anything like that before.”
MCC Electrical Technology instructor Elise DeMaranville, who is the faculty organizer of the SkillsUSA conference, said she is encouraged to see more female students like Wieczorek finding their way to MCC Skilled Trades and Technical Sciences programs.
Wieczorek and DeMaranville’s paths have a lot of overlap. Both came into the MCC high school academies and participated in SkillsUSA as contestants and state officers.
“She’s grown immensely as a welder and professionally by participating in SkillsUSA. She’s just an all-around awesome person with a long-term goal, and she’s doing everything she can to achieve it. She’ll be running things here pretty soon,” DeMaranville said. “It’s really rewarding to see more women coming into the industry and participating in SkillsUSA to get ahead. It’s a safe space to see if you like being in the field or not. In the industry, it’s a little more cutthroat.”
Wieczorek said it’s a good feeling to be ahead academically and financially, as well as being on a career path.
“During my freshman year of high school, my mom paid off her student loans. That’s not something I want to have happen when I’m 40,” Wieczorek said.
After finishing college, she said she wants to work in a shop and build credibility in the field, while doing welding sculptures on the side. After establishing herself in her career, she aspires to move into management or possibly open her own business.
Owens has seen a lot of students Wieczorek’s age finish the high school academy at MCC. The program currently enjoys the highest completion rate in its history. With the demand in the workforce and the return on investment for the cost of a Welding Technology associate degree — the median wage in the field is $53,000 according to the American Welding Society — the future is bright for anyone who applies themselves in the trade. When he thinks about Wieczorek’s natural ability, he sees lots of success on the horizon no matter where her education takes her.
“I think she eventually could own her own business. There are so many things that can happen along the way in life, but she absolutely has the potential to do that,” Owens said.
There’s also a high probability Wieczorek will get a call from Owens someday down the road, requesting her to speak with another aspiring woman welding student needing to hear from someone who knows what it’s like to walk in her shoes (or cowgirl boots).
“I hope I’m somewhat like [Owens] where I know a lot of people and have a lot of connections so I can be there for other women. Obviously, we’re out there,” Wieczorek said.
Visit mccneb.edu/CareerAcademy for more information on MCC high school academies.