Former SICC Student Excels in the Career of Welding

Emilio Flores
La Feria News

Clarivel Lugo, a La Feria resident, is a former student from Southern Industrial Career Center that has been making her strides in the welding industry recently, has a go-getter-like attitude, and has been an encouragement everywhere she goes.

La Feria News got the opportunity to talk with Clarivel and dive a little into what it’s like having a career in welding and, as a woman, and what her mindset and mentality have been. Something that may translate into life lessons to someone’s everyday life.

Ms. Lugo currently works at Welding Works International, where she continues to excel in everything she’s doing. She explains that she started off as an assistant “Grinding out the phalanges…” she said that she’d be helping with whatever they needed to be done.

Then the opportunity arose to learn more about the business side of things, helping with inventory, recruiting, and logistics. And that’s exactly what Ms. Lugo has been doing. Making sure inventory is stocked with the materials needed for projects, learning blueprint layouts, and helping to manage the projects themselves. She expressed the importance of making sure production never stops. She says “(We’re) making sure production does not stop, because in this industry, production stops… and that’s no good”

Clarivel explains that she wants to just learn as much as she can, and she shows that through everything she does. Ms. Lugo also explains that some of her greatest motivations have been instilled by her parents. She accredits a lot of her ambitious attitude to her parents. She says “I wanna say my parents have always instilled that… hard work will get you a long way”

When La Feria News asked what advice she would give to any younger women she responded said to stay positive, be aggressive, and be a lifelong learner. “not being afraid… to just go out there and get it done.” another tip she gives is, “learn how to handle conflict…” and something really important to Clarivel is to support other women.

She says that learning as much as you can will bring more opportunities, and encourages others to never hesitate to ask questions. Lugo says, “You gotta get out of your comfort zone to be able to progress,” and again, “Get out of the comfort zone!”

Clarivel Lugo finished her necessary course in welding at Southern Industrial Career Center in 8 weeks, and within 30 days of finishing, landed the job that she has now at Welding Works International. Lugo has been working there for 5 months now and has been enjoying the new challenges and looks forward to continuing to grow in her career field.