My name is Lonnie Reigle and I attend Mifflinburg Area High School.  I decided, on the last day of my junior year of high school, to come to SUN Tech for welding.  For a while, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.  Then I decided that I liked the welding classes that I took in my high school.  The main reason I chose this course was because of the high demand for welders.

SUN Tech’s welding class was definitely my best choice for my senior year.  I couldn’t see myself doing any other class and enjoying it as much as I do.  In the shop, we learn the most common welding processes including Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW), and Submerged Arc Welding (SAW).   We also learn how to solder and braze weld.  Blueprint reading is another part of the class, and our instructor stresses how important it is to build things that are exactly what the blueprint calls for.  Another part of the class is learning to fabricate and learning how critical it is to make sure that everything is level and square.  We cover cutting processes such as CNC plasma cutting, manual plasma cutting, oxyfuel cutting, and carbon air arc cutting.  Also, we spend a portion of our day learning the theory behind the welding and cutting processes.

My plans after I graduate from SUN Tech are to attend Penn College to continue my education in welding.  After I graduate from college, I hope to get a good job in the gas industry using everything I’ve learned from SUN Tech and college.