Central Tech student Mahala Brown from Olive High School was presented the Breaking Traditions Student Achievement Award in Tulsa on April 18, 2016, during the SkillsUSA State Conference.

The award was given by the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council. Criteria for winning the award included: the student must be training in a career considered non-traditional for their gender and be outstanding in his/her training area. Brown is studying welding/fabrication technology.

“I nominated Mahala because I know she is going to be successful due to her work ethic. She is perfect for the award,” says her welding instructor, Troy Elliott. “She makes no excuses and figures out problems better than the boys. I don’t see gender; I see a hard worker who works circles around everyone in this class.”

Brown says welding is fun and she is excited to get out of bed and go to school because of it, “I just think it’s cool how you can melt metal together and attach it.” And she is thankful to Elliott for nominating her, “I was really surprised. I think it’s really neat.”

Central Tech is proud of Brown and her determination to break tradition and succeed in a program considered non-traditional for her gender. For more information about Central Tech’s Welding Fabrication Technology class or other classes, visit CentralTech.Edu or call 918.352.2551.