When Justin Laorenza begins to use his welding cutting torch at the Aiken County Career and Technology Center, he puts on the sparkling new helmet he won recently at a regional student competition.
It's an advanced $150 model, one that automatically darkens the plastic eye shield when he turns on the torch. It is a lot more efficient than a standard helmet that requires the welder to darken the shield manually.
Laorenza took first place at the regional event in Lexington County. It's the first such event of its kind for the students and was judged by qualified, certified inspectors, said Kevin Rawlins, the Career Center instructor. Laorenza had won an in-house competition to qualify for the regionals.
"My dad (Patrick) is a mechanic and has a welding machine in his shop," said Laorenza, who splits his day between South Aiken High and the Career Center. "I enjoy working with my hands every day."
The regional title also earned Laorenza a renewed student membership in the American Welding Society. As the Career Center's AWS chairman, he occasionally gets to attend meetings related to his craft.
"My shop is an accredited training, testing facility for entry-level welders," said Rawlins, a graduate of the welding program with now-retired John Ball.
Rawlins teaches four programs of arc welding - gas tungsten, shielded metal, gas metal and flux core. The students also do third-level pipe welding and blueprint reading.
"The regional event was challenging but very professionally done," Rawlins said. "The students had to read the blueprints and do a cut sample and a weld sample."
The participants had up to two hours to complete the work.
"I really tried to take my time as I saw other students rushing through it," Laorenza said. "I'm not really that patient, but I was glad to get first place."
It's a good opportunity to have a competition like this," said Rawlins.
"They'll always be competing for jobs in the workforce," he said. "With anything to you do, you have to perform."
Earlier this year, Rawlins took the students on a field trip to Charleston, and Laorenza may have found his niche there.
"After high school, I'm hoping to go to work and get my foot in the door," he said. "Then I hope I can go to the underwater welding school in Charleston."
Senior writer Rob Novit, the Aiken Standard's education reporter, joined the staff in September 2001. He is a native of Walterboro and majored in journalism at the University of Georgia.
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