Glenville State College student to compete at National SkillsUSA Competition
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GLENVILLE -- A sophomore at Glenville State College participate in the 2021 SkillsUSA Competition in June in the Welding Sculpture category.
Jesse Kargol's interest in welding began during his freshman year of high school when he enrolled at the Calhoun-Gilmer Career and Technical Center. Kargol is an education major at Glenville State.
"I was a home-schooled student and I wanted to play high school sports, so I had to become a public school student. Being at the Career and Technical Center, I was able to do that," said Kargol. "I thought it would be important for me to learn how to do things on my own and not hire someone to do it, so I took the welding class. It took me at least two months to be able to get it, and then one day, it just clicked for me."
At the Career and Technical Center, Kargol was class supervisor and was responsible for attending meetings, coordinating with employers and leading his classmates.
Kargol also incorporates his passion for creating traditional art into his welding designs.
"I've liked to draw for as long as I can remember. I started painting after I watched Bob Ross, and I realized that I could take my art further than just paper," said Kargol. During his time at the Career and Technical Center, he became a certified welder in all positions of shielded metal arc welding."
Carl Collins has been his welding instructor.
Kargol won the state competition in April and he will represent West Virginia against 49 other state winners in June.
The competition consists of a knowledge test, an interview, and judging of the sculpture piece. Kargol's piece, titled "SkillsUSA Emblem," was inspired by the emblem on the SkillsUSA skillset uniform.