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Throughout the spring semester, Nash Peterson was building bridges. While the bridges were small, they gave him the chance to win $10,000.

Peterson competed in the ProjectMFG National Welding League, which puts over 400 welders from around the country to the test. This year’s competition featured bridge building. The first round required a replica of the Coronado Bay Bridge, and the second round was a covered bridge that required use of both steel and aluminum welds.

After the first two rounds of the competition, Garrett Elwood, a welding technology instructor, shipped Peterson’s welded bridges to ProjectMFG. The judges selected him out of more than 400 competitors to travel to the final round in San Diego.

“Garrett was my first ever instructor at SCC, so we kind of go back,” Peterson said. “He taught me how to MIG weld, and after that he taught me to process a weld. He drove me to be a better welder.”

 Elwood encouraged Peterson to enter the ProjectMFG competition, and helped Peterson with each of his projects. When they made it to San Diego for the national competition in early May, their hotel room overlooked the Coronado Bay Bridge, making it a full circle moment for Elwood.

“It was really cool to see it right in front of them, the bridge they all built,” Elwood said. “We met people from all over the country, and it was fun to see how they all run their programs.”

The contest was held at a facility called Workshop for Warriors, which is a trade school that helps assimilate veterans back into civilian life through welding and machining.

For the competition, Peterson was given eight hours to create a draw bridge with two towers and an aluminum bridge that could be lifted in between.

“He has such a good attitude, it was hard to know whether he was doing good or not sometimes,” Elwood said. “He always just smiles and he’s a super down to earth guy. There were a few things that didn’t go his way, but he was having fun and was honored to have that opportunity.”

During the competition, Elwood also found himself competing in an instructor weld-off. He made a small trophy and won a welding hood.

After eight hours of exhausting work, Peterson submitted his work and waited. Results weren’t announced until the following morning, so he and Elwood explored San Diego for the evening, watching ships come and go in the bay and enjoying the beach.

Peterson didn’t place in the top three, and his exact placement hasn’t been announced yet, but he didn’t leave empty-handed. Every competitor that went to the national final was given a welding shirt, a hood, and a backpack full of tools.

Most important to Peterson, however, was the experience.

“I was part of ProjectMFG before I had a welding job outside of school,” Peterson said. “I had never really looked at a blueprint or welding specifications before. So this taught me that you have to be very critical with your measurements. It’s definitely helped a lot in my career outside of school.”

Peterson graduated from SCC in May, and currently works at a small fabrication shop in Waverly, Empire Supply Company.

Damon Bennett
Activities Information Director
402-437-2077
dbennett@southeast.edu