Missouri welder making name for herself and other women in welding
Missouri welder making name for herself and other women in welding
Ten years ago, DeIla Ray took a fire watch job in North Dakota. It was pretty much what you would expect—she kept an eye out for any potential fires on the job site. Not the most exciting job, but at least the pay was good, she said.
It was here that she saw welding for the first time and struck her first arc.
The rest, as they say, is history—or as she described it, “Sparks flew.”
She’s held on to welding ever since. DeIla has pipe welded on job sites across the country, with each location and job unique. She teaches future welders as an instructor for the Davis H. Hart Career Center in Mexico, Mo., where she lives today. And she and her husband Jack Ray started a small fabrication business.
DeIla’s career path has evolved since those days in North Dakota. She’s earned opportunities that she hopes will help or inspire other women in the industry. Her path has been a far cry from the one she originally imagined for herself.
“[I] thought I was going to college for a psychology degree [to] work towards occupational therapy but here I am. It's something I never imagined in my wildest dreams.
“I love where I'm at right now, I love what I'm doing,” said Ray. “Going into the trades is just one of the best things I’ve done in my life.”
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