OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — "Oh, it's so nice. It's pretty. It's clean," Hannah Wieczorek, student at Metropolitan Community College said.
Tools in hand, Hannah Wieczorek's love for welding stainless steel was inspired by her family and curiosity.
"I took some classes my freshman and sophomore year. My uncles, my dad, they're kind of all in the trades a little bit. So I kind of just want to go after them," she said.
And it's something Wieczorek wants to take beyond the classroom. She wants to make it her life.
"It's a hobby that's turned into a career and it's a job and a career that I'll love," Wieczorek said.
But women like Wieczorek can find a career in a field like welding because of the trailblazers who came before them. Real life Rosie the Riveters, whose barrier-breaking work took place closer to home than you might realize.
Recently, all Rosie the Riveters across the country received the Congressional Gold Medal for their efforts during the war. And that real-life Rosie the Riveter is Rose Dobbertin
"It's a common term that they use now - Rosie the Riveter. That means all the women who worked in the war effort during World War II. But it just happens that my mother's name was Rose," Karen See, Rose's daughter said,
During World War II, Dobbertin was the poster girl for the Glen L. Martin Bomber Plant at Offutt Field. It was there, she was a welder, welding aircraft parts... breaking barriers and building for the future.
"I know she wouldn't have done that if it didn't mean the world to her," See said.
Dobbertin, not only making an impact on her daughter, but leading the way for other women, like Wieczorek, to make a difference in welding, one day at a time.
"It's not like I'm a trailblazer. It's just like I'm holding on to that torch to keep it going," Wieczorek said.
