(MARSHALL, Texas) – Alauryn Morgan was already an experienced welder like her father before she enrolled at Texas State Technical College.
“We had to pick (an elective) before we went to high school and I was like, ‘Welding sounds cool. I’m going to try it,’” she said. “I’ve liked it ever since.”
Morgan, of Longview, loved TSTC’s Welding program enough to earn certificates of completion in both Structural Welding and Advanced Pipe Specialization, officially graduating in December 2025. She said transitioning from one to the other was difficult, but she would put in extra hours on Fridays to make sure she got it right.
“Some days you’ll have really bad days, but you learn from those days and you can see yourself getting better,” Morgan said. “It’s a bunch of practice and a bunch of patience.”
Philip Miller, a Welding instructor for TSTC’s Marshall campus, took notice of Morgan’s dedication to her craft.
“She was an outstanding student,” Miller said. “She was the first one to get here — sometimes waiting on me to get here — and the last one to leave, trying to get every ounce of time out of class. She worked as hard as she could every time she had a chance. She was everything you’d want in a student.”
Morgan said graduating from TSTC felt like the end of a chapter, but the beginning of a new one.
“Not only did going to school teach me how to weld, but how to hold yourself, keep character, be respectful to other people and do what you need to do,” she said.
Shortly before graduating from TSTC, Morgan began working as a welding helper for K&B Manufacturing LLC, a production, fabrication and field service company in Longview. Morgan said a student’s education does not stop after they graduate, and she is learning that firsthand on her path to becoming a welder for K&B.
“If I don’t do something right, a person that’s been here for years will show me how to do it right,” Morgan said. “Eventually you get into somewhat of a flow and you can see this big piece that you’re building come together.”
In the future, Morgan hopes to expand her skills as a traveling welder. She encouraged other female welders to keep working hard so others will recognize their potential.
“You’re no different from the guy next to you,” Morgan said.
According to onetonline.org, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earn a median salary of $49,830, with 5,640 job openings projected in Texas each year between 2022 and 2032.
Welding is available at all 11 TSTC campuses across the state. The program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion, depending on location.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.