Penn College Family - Welders Serve Greater Good

Published 03.04.2019

Thomas Speicher

by Thomas Speicher

Writer/Video Producer
Magazine
Penn College Family
Fall 2019, Volume 28, Number 2

    A rocket stove manufactured by welding and fabrication engineering technology students Erin M. Beaver, Joelle E. Perelli and Natalie J. Rhoades at the SkillsUSA National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, was donated to a family in the developing world.

    “You don’t realize what you have until you find out what other people don’t have,” Rhoades said. “That made me appreciate the competition even more.”

    USING SKILLS FOR OTHERS

    WaterStep, a Louisville nonprofit, teamed with SkillsUSA to earmark all the rocket stoves produced during the welding fabrication competition for international distribution. Rocket stoves are small, efficient and eco-friendly.

    “Realizing that with my trade I can do something for others is a cool thing to think about,” Perelli said. “It gave me a separate sense of pride besides the competition.” 

    VYING FOR A NATIONAL TITLE

    The competition gave teams approximately six hours to build a rocket stove based on blueprints and materials provided on-site. Penn College finished seventh out of 23 entrants with their 31-inch-high stove made mostly of carbon steel.

    “We had to make decisions quickly. If something didn’t go as planned, we had to figure out the next best way forward,” Perelli said. “I think that skill is invaluable.”

    As the only all-female welding team, the Penn College trio received significant attention during the national championships, which showcased the nation’s best career and technical education students. They were interviewed by several outlets, including the WorldSkills podcast.

    The team qualified for nationals by winning district and state competitions.

    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    The team members admit that they were initially disappointed by their seventh-place finish. But the true
    result of the competition makes them smile.

    “Once we got to WaterStep and saw all the rocket stoves sitting on pallets, and it was explained to us where they were going and how they were going to be used, it completely changed our perspective,” Perelli said.

    “You usually don’t have too many opportunities to help people far away,” Beaver said. “It was a small thing that we made, but it will impact a family more than we can imagine.”

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