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Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Former Clearfield County Fair Queen Jayna Vicary of Curwensville is the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center’s newest welding instructor.
The 2018 Clearfield County Fair Queen said she had no qualms in seeking a career in a male dominated field.
She said her cousin was a welder and that got her interested in the field when she was a child. When she got into high school, she enrolled in the welding program at the CCCTC.
When Vicary joined the program, there was one other girl in the class who quickly dropped out, leaving Vicary the only female in her class.
After graduation Vicary went to the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport where she graduated with a degree in welding engineering.
Between her junior and senior years in college she worked as an intern at Diamondback Covers in Philipsburg, and during her senior year she worked part time at the company.
After graduating from college in May, she got a job working full time at Diamondback as a TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welder.
“I loved it,” Vicary said of her time at Diamondback.
She said TIG welding is her favorite type of welding, and her favorite material is aluminum despite it being a difficult metal to work with.
“It’s very tough,” Vicary said about welding with aluminum. “It takes a lot of patience.”
She said aluminum is difficult because of its heat dissipation, the softness of the metal and it is easily damaged or scratched.
Although she loved her job at Diamondback, she jumped at the chance to be a teacher at the CCCTC.
She said one of the reasons she went to college was so one day she could teach, and she wanted to teach at the CCCTC.
“This place did a lot for who I wanted to be as a person, not only in the welding field but as a whole,” Vicary said.
Despite being the only girl in her class, she enjoyed her time there.
“This place was my safe zone when I was in high school,” Vicary said of the CCCTC. “This is where I came to be around people who were like-minded and interested in the same things I was.”
Now she said she wants to contribute to this step in students’ careers.
CCCTC Executive Director Fred Redden said they are excited to have one of their former students as a teacher, and they are excited that she could help other women pursue the field as well.
Vicary said welding is an excellent field to work in for both men and women.
“There are endless opportunities in the welding field,” Vicary said.
She said locally, there are several manufacturers who employ welders, and welders are used in everything from the oil and gas industry, railroads, bridge construction, building construction and some even work as artists.
Vicary said many of the metal statues and fountains in parks and in front of buildings are sculpted out of metal.
Vicary said she likes using her welding skills as an artist, and last year she participated in the craft fair at the Clearfield County Fair, using her welding skills to make crosses out of horseshoes.
When she was fair queen, she said she was the only participant who was interested in welding. But she said that is changing. Now when they go to the state fair queen competitions, there are a few who are interested in welding.
Vicary said she thinks many women are discouraged from becoming welders, because traditionally it has been a male dominated field.
The stereotypical image of welders is a large, burly man, but Vicary said it has never been a better time to be a welder.
Although it is a physically demanding profession, she said one doesn’t need a lot of brute strength to be good at welding. And, to prevent injuries, she said the industry doesn’t want anyone, man or woman, to lift more than 50 pounds without a crane.
More important than strength, Vicary said, is precision, meticulousness and patience.
“Craftsmanship is a big part of our field,” Vicary said. “Quality is very important.”
Vicary said she has a lot of fond memories of her days as the Clearfield County Fair Queen.
“I absolutely loved my year as fair queen,” Vicary said.
When she was fair queen, she even got to use some of the welding skills she learned at the CCCTC.
Vicary said as fair queen she went to Ag Progress Days in State College, and there was a welding truck at the event.
“I welded while my chaperone was holding my crown and sash,” she said.
Vicary said some of her students recognized her from her fair queen days, and she used her experience as the fair queen in a lesson.
Vicary said she continues to be in the fair queen program as a volunteer.
Her time as a fair queen gave her a new hobby.
“The fair queen program lead me into this crazy adventure of breeding sheep,” Vicary said.
As fair queen she was required to raise a 4-H lamb, which was sold at auction to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network as well as local 4-H and FFA scholarships.
She ended up liking it more than she expected.
“Now I have my own small breeding facility at home,” Vicary said.
This year’s Clearfield County Fair Queen lamb was her first lamb that she bred at home.
Vicary said she always wanted to live in the area after college. She said she likes the people, and she enjoys the outdoors and the agricultural community.
“Some people say there isn’t a lot to do here, but there are a lot of nature areas around here to occupy my free time,” Vicary said.
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