George County student wins back-to-back titles in sculptural welding

A George County welding student is a back-to-back sculptural welding champion.

Career and Technical Education bridges the gap between high school and post-secondary plans.

George County School District is home to the best CTE program in the state and one class that continues to excel is welding. Instructor Jason Frey said, “I teach second- and third-year welding, so we do a dual credit class which is actually a first semester of college they can do out of high school.”

When it comes to competitions, George County is known for the prestigious welding program and that success is nothing new to back-to-back sculptural champion Cason Cox.

Welding sparked an interest in Cason just two years after watching several videos on YouTube. Winning his first championships in 2021 at Skills USA after only one year of experience motivated him to continue working and that hard work led him to being on top yet again this past week. “It definitely meant a lot. It showed me what I was really capable of even though I was very inexperienced in welding. I’d definitely say it really boosted my confidence in myself and the things I’m able to do.”

Because of the confidence instilled in him throughout his classes and competitions, Cason hopes to continue welding after his nursing career. “After I go through nursing school and get my degree and everything like that, I want to try to retire early and open up my own shop doing blacksmithing and fabrication and stuff like this.”