ASU-Heber Springs: Welding Student is Top Three in National Finals
12/18/2014
Jacob Miller of Greers Ferry, a welding student at Arkansas State University-Heber Springs, a center of ASU-Beebe, recently returned from a successful competition at the American Welding Society U.S. Invitational Weld Trials.
A former West Side High School student, Miller was chosen in the top three at the national trials in Atlanta. Miller is the only Arkansan to advance to this level of the competition. ASU-Heber Springs has had three previous welders to compete at the national level, including welding instructor Aaron Carr, who finished fourth in the national competition.
Miller was invited as one of the top 48 welding competitors from the National SkillsUSA Championships in November to begin the four-stage process inclusive of 2013 and 2014 finalists. This invitation came as a result of his gold medal finish at the State SkillsUSA competition. As a finalist, Miller received a $1,000 scholarship and a one-year American Welding Society membership.
ASU-Heber Springs welding instructors Thomas “Tag” Green and Aaron Carr, along with Miller’s high school teacher Randy Carr, were instrumental in providing Miller the mentoring and training required to excel at the national level.
“When you find a student who has the talent to weld combined with a desire for hard work, teaching them becomes a passion. Jacob Miller is such a student,” Green said. “He pushes himself, this program and all of us as instructors to reach beyond our goals."
At the American Welding Society U.S. Invitational Weld Trials, Miller competed against five other welders from across the nation in the weeklong competition. The competitors were required to complete several different projects in a 22 hour time limit. Miller received a print with all of the project elements and was then responsible for crafting and assembling the finished pieces within the time frame.
“Jacob’s win is not only evidence of his outstanding technical skills, but also a testament to his instructors who have invested so much in his training,” said Dr. Chris Boyett, vice chancellor for ASU-Heber Springs.
As a result, Miller’s top three finish position qualifies him to compete in the AWS Society TeamUSA Finals, to be held in February, 2015. The gold medal winner from the national finals competition will represent the U.S. at the WorldSkills Welding Competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 10-16, 2015 and receive up to $1,000 in AWS publications, a four-year AWS membership and a $40,000 four-year scholarship from the AWS Foundation and the Miller Electric Manufacturing Company.
Dr. Boyett stated “The university greatly appreciates the generosity of the entire community for their support of Jacob as he attempts to reach this goal.”
For more details about ASU-Heber Springs or the Welding Technology program, call (501) 362-1271 or visit www.asub.edu.
Arkansas State University-Beebe is a regional state university that is an operationally separate, two-year institution of the Arkansas State University System. With campuses located in Beebe, Heber Springs, Searcy, and Little Rock Air Force Base, the university offers associate degrees, certificates, and non-credit training for business and industry. The Beebe campus also collaborates with Arkansas State, a four-year university in Jonesboro, to offer baccalaureate and graduate degrees on the Beebe campus.
