Rio Rancho student wins gold medal in national welding competition

Scott Schneider started his first class on sculpture welding on Oct. 16. A little over eight months later, Schneider is a national championship winning welder.

Schneider, a 25-year-old Rio Rancho native and student at Central New Mexico Community College, was awarded the college gold medal in Welding Sculpture on June 23 at the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships.

The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference.

“More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation participated in the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships,” SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis said. “This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates SkillsUSA at its finest. Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels. This program expands learning and career opportunities for our members.”

Winners received industry prizes, tools of their trade or scholarships. Skill Point Certificates were also awarded to the national medalists for meeting a threshold score in their event as an indicator of proficiency and workplace readiness. Students can add the certificate to their employment portfolio.

Schneider had been welding for a few years before enrolling in the welding program at CNM last spring. Schneider said his teacher recommended the SkillsUSA competition to him, and he joined the program in the fall. His sculpture of an elk standing on a rock won the state competition and earned Schneider a spot in the SkillsUSA Championships. It was the first sculpture he welded.

“I had some prior experience, but I actually joined the program to try to increase my pay as a welder,” Schneider said. “So I ended up just doing the competition. This is my first one. I was pretty happy with that outcome.”