On a Friday afternoon, long after his classes have ended, College of Western Idaho (CWI) Welding and Metal Fabrication student Frank Ramirez is still hard at work at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center (NMEC), carefully shaping a welding sculpture for this year’s SkillsUSA competition.
This year, he is building a human bust, combining realistic facial features with a mechanical upper body that exposes the brain, heart, lungs, ribs, and backbone.
“This one took about six months to make,” Ramirez explained. “My thought process is mostly pictures. I constantly reference images in my head as I design and follow the instructions.”
Last spring, Ramirez competed in the state-level SkillsUSA welding sculpture competition, earning first place in Idaho and later placed eighth at the national level. The recognition came with a scholarship and marked a major milestone in his educational journey.
“It was really rewarding,” Ramirez said. “It made me realize I’m doing something right. This is what I’m meant to do.”
Ramirez first discovered welding during his freshman year of high school through agriculture classes and his involvement in Future Farmers of America. What began as an introduction quickly became a passion.
“I really enjoyed it,” Ramirez said. “It just clicked for me, and I knew it was something I wanted to keep doing.”
Now a second-year student at CWI, Ramirez has found that welding is more than just a technical skill. It’s a way to focus, create, and see results with his own hands. With access to CWI’s state-of-the-art labs, hands-on projects, and supportive instructors, he’s been able to explore those skills fully.
“The tools and equipment I use in the lab every day are helping me build the skills I’ll need in the workforce,” Ramirez said. “Since coming to CWI, the welding instructors have introduced me to a variety of tools and shown me how each one is designed for a specific task. Practicing with them has given me experience and confidence that will help me tackle any welding project in the future.”
Ramirez’s classes aren’t just helping him grow his welding skills, they’re also helping him build his confidence. Living with autism and Tourette’s syndrome, Ramirez experiences and processes the world differently, a perspective that has shaped how he learns and works.
“Because I think in pictures, sometimes I need things explained a little differently, or I have to look at it from another angle,” he said.
For Ramirez, tics can be frustrating and interrupt tasks like holding and reading a book, but he has learned ways to work with them rather than against them. However, in the welding booth everything shifts.
“When I’m welding, I become hyper-focused,” Ramirez said. “My Tourette’s is suppressed and naturally calms down. It gives me a break, physically and mentally.”
Building something with his hands has become therapeutic. The shop is a place where he can fully immerse himself and feel confident in what he’s creating.
“If you’re doing something you enjoy, your attitude is going to affect the way you learn or the way you do things and perform,” he said.
At CWI, Ramirez discovered a community that helps him grow. Instructors provide patient guidance and adapt explanations to how he learns best, classmates are quick to collaborate, and staff across campus offer encouragement that keeps him motivated. These resources have given him the tools, not just for welding, but for learning how to navigate challenges.
Ramirez has learned to advocate for himself where he’s been able to ask for clarification when needed and breaking tasks into smaller steps. Those skills have strengthened both his schoolwork and his self-confidence.
“I honestly think each faculty or staff member I've encountered had a big role in my journey as a CWI student,” Ramirez said.
Beyond his own learning, Ramirez has stepped into a leadership role and has begun mentoring other students in the welding program for SkillsUSA this year. He draws on his first-year experiences and shows them tips and tricks for creating their welding sculptures.
For Ramirez, one of his greatest accomplishments is simply being in college. As a child, a teacher told his parents that he would never graduate from high school or attend college. Through his parents’ determination to find the right resources and his own hard work, Ramirez got the support he needed to succeed in school and reach this point.
“I’m happy to say I’m proving them wrong,” Ramirez said. “Just because I have these so-called ‘disabilities’ doesn’t mean I’m not able to do it.”
Now looking ahead to graduating in May 2026, Ramirez is grateful for the support he has and has found at CWI, as well as the confidence he has gained along the way. He is looking forward to what comes after graduation. He is interested in Gas Tungsten Arc Welding and hopes to one day pursue a career in aerospace welding.
“My advice to other students is to not give up,” he said. “Ask for help when you need it, don’t be too hard on yourself, and try to enjoy your time here. It goes by fast.”
Through persistence and determination, Ramirez is building more than a future career. He is building proof of what is possible through hard work.
