Sumter's Next Generation, presented by SumterEDGE: CCTC's Ly'Asia Washington finds strength in the spark of welding

It's the curve of a sharp spark fluttering to the ground. The grace of a steady hand. The low hum of metal meeting metal.

For 18-year-old Ly'Asia Washington, the slag-covered booths within Central Carolina Technical College's welding classrooms have become her safe haven. A place where her doubts go quiet, her focus sharpens and her future mirrors that bright, blue hue that reflects in the glass of her helmet. It's a place where pressure builds patience and purposes.

And to think, not long ago, Ly'Asia didn't see herself in this position at all.

Native to Sumter and a graduate of Sumter High School, she had her sights set far outside the county lines. Like many young people on the cusp of the biggest transition in life - from high school to college, from adolescence to adulthood - she was wrestling with uncertainty, depression and the pressure of what the future holds. It is this thinking that drove Ly'Asia to settle on the idea of a 9-5 job. But her mother steered her in a different direction.

"'I don't want you to follow [in] my footsteps. Try going to Central Carolina and do welding,'" she recalled her mother's wise words. "I was like, 'Welding is for boys. That's not my thing.'"

But, as they say, mother knows best - which is why she still applied. Her acceptance in August would be the start of something new and worthwhile. Yet, it would come with its share of hardships.

Welding, as many of her instructors explained, is an "easy hard" program: simple in concept, demanding in execution. For newcomer Ly'Asia, it was just hard.

"It was kind of difficult. I wanted to give up the following month," she admitted.

But perspective is everything when entering the unknown. Once you start to realize the challenge is meant to build your resilience, not break your spirit, then comes the enjoyment - as was the case for Ly'Asia. The more she witnessed her classmates overcome their frustration, the more she was inspired to beat the odds. She accepted help from her instructors, pointers from her peers and the words of affirmation she whispered over herself. From there, it got easier.

There is a great amount of precision, patience, persistence and mathematics that goes into joining steel. Ly'Asia and her classmates learned to build frames from scratch, measuring, cutting, grinding and welding them together. Over time, her sparks settled into skills, her doubt was molded into confidence and her technique grew tenfold, especially in Welding 111 - her favorite class - where she learned vertical welding, one of the most challenging forms to execute in the trade.

With this challenge behind her, she faced another that was just as significant. In Ly'Asia's welding classes, she is one of four women in a predominantly male class. At first, the imbalance was uncomfortable, "awkward," she described. Comments stung, and doubts crept in slowly. Then came the words of her instructor, CCTC Department Chair for Welding Axel Reis.

"He said, 'You and the other females, y'all need to be good welders.' I was like, OK, I might as well stay. I might as well give it a try," she shared. "He always told me [not to] give up because I did want to give up. When he would see me cry or struggle, he would come into my booth, and he would help me. I'm happy about it because I didn't think I could finish, but he helped me keep going."

It was never about doing the work for her, or for any of the students who struggled to get their footing. It was about showing them that possibilities are endless when met with patience and persistence. That balance of support and accountability made all the difference for Ly'Asia. Her confidence is stronger than the steel she tacks together.

And perhaps that is the most powerful part of Ly'Asia's journey. It's not just about what it taught her technically; it's about what it has given her emotionally. She found an outlet that allowed her to work with her hands and throughout her emotions at the same time. It gave her space to breathe, to create, to believe in herself despite the doubts that tried to convince her otherwise.

Her plans to graduate in 2027 do not put an end to her welding journey, with hopes of furthering her education in the trade at a college upstate. For now, she's focused on practicing, improving and preparing her future one weld at a time.

To any students considering welding, or any challenging path in life, her advice is to meet the challenge head on.

"Don't give up; don't listen to what other people tell you in your ear," she encouraged. "Ask for help, and if you want to take your time, take your time, but don't take too long or you will be far behind."