05/24/2026
Congratulations to Mikala Sposito on making history -- the 21-year-old from Dexter, Michigan, will be the first woman ever to represent the United States in welding at the WorldSkills Competition this September in China!
Mikala earned her spot by winning the USA Weld Trials in Huntsville, Alabama, in March -- placing first overall after three grueling qualifying rounds against the nation's top welders. "It was very, very close the whole time, but I was the one who made it to Shanghai," she said. The WorldSkills Competition brings together the world's best young technical professionals across dozens of disciplines -- from welding to robotics to advanced manufacturing -- and is widely considered the Olympics of the skilled trades.
Mikala's path to the world stage began at age 10, when she stepped up to a virtual welding simulator set up by the American Welding Society at the Henry Ford Museum. She tried it once, thought it was "the coolest thing ever," and never looked back.
Welding camps followed, then classes, then competitions -- and now 80 hours a week of training at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, where she works under coach Alex Pazkowski, a former WorldSkills silver medalist who competed from that same program. The school has sent more welders to WorldSkills than any other institution in the United States. "I've had to sacrifice a lot to be here," Mikala said. "I've sacrificed time with friends, time with family. This is my second family."
While women remain a small minority in the field, Mikala says it's a great profession for them. "I mean, welding doesn't take any brute strength or anything. It's actually very fine and precise." And she is proving it on the world stage -- which her coach knows will matter. "At the end of the day, if you're successful, it's gonna open up all kinds of doors for you," Pazkowski said.
"Being the first female to do it is very cool," Mikala said. After Shanghai, her plan is to earn a degree in welding engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit -- and someday, she may well follow Pazkowski's path back to WCC to teach the next generation. Whatever path she takes, Mikala is determined to be "inspirational for many women in the trades who have possibly struggled."
Huge congratulations to Mikala -- a trailblazer who is opening doors for Mighty Girls everywhere who dream of careers in the skilled trades!
To give girls the confidence and knowledge to tackle building or repair projects now or in the future, we highly recommend the two photo-filled books "Girls Who Build" for ages 8 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-who-build) and "Girls Garage: How to Use Any Tool" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-garage)
To get your Mighty Girl started on real-life building, we highly recommend the Build-Your-Own Wooden Birdhouse for ages 4 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/created-by-me-birdhouse) and a 3-Pocket Tool Belt for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/3-pocket-tool-belt)
To build her confidence in using tools through pretend play, we recommend the Fix It Wooden Tool Box for ages 3 to 6 (https://www.amightygirl.com/fix-it-wooden-tool-box), the Master Tool Workbench Play Set for ages 3 to 6 (https://www.amightygirl.com/master-workbench-play-set), and the Junior Inventor Scientific Tool Belt for ages 4 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/junior-inventor-scientific-tool-belt)
For two fun picture books that show girls and women in roles as builders and in construction, we recommend "Building Our House" (https://www.amightygirl.com/building-our-house) for ages 3 to 8 and "Three Cheers for Kid McGear" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/three-cheers-for-kid-mcgear)
To read more about Mikala on the AP, visit https://apnews.com/article/first-woman-welding-shanghai-trades-worldskills-afd7fdafe69e69242d8bbee1b45d0204
