FORT PIERCE — Students in the welding program at Indian River State College are taking part in a statewide fabrication competition tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary, creating a large-scale metal installation inspired by American history.
The project was developed as part of Florida’s America 250 initiative, which invited welding programs across the state to design and build original works commemorating the milestone.
IRSC Instructor Walter Posten said the assignment challenged students to think broadly about how to represent the country’s history through fabrication.
“So we were requested by the state of Florida to build an art project that celebrates the 250-year anniversary of the nation,” Posten said. “We gladly accepted the challenge and tried to pick a design that fit and covered the full 250 years, which I think this made that happen.”
Students ultimately chose to model their piece after the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, scaling it into a large, multi-part installation. Welding student Ronja Sander described the scope and collaborative effort behind the design.
“We had the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which reaches, with the flags, it’s 12 and a half feet. We have a soldier, which is 6 feet, and then we have a wreath, which is about 4 feet,” Sander said. “We were honestly just sitting in the classroom and we were bringing out ideas. It was truly amazing because we were all so invested in this project and just wanted to bring it to the next level. And our quote was, ‘go big or go home,’ literally.”
The idea evolved after initial concepts shifted, with students drawing inspiration from real-world landmarks and discussions in class.
“We were honestly thinking of making an eagle, and we had that set for about two weeks before we even started,” Sander said. “Then our instructor went to Washington, D.C., and was telling us about it. He was sending us pictures. And we were just so amazed by what this represents to us and to the states that we were like, ‘OK, we’re going to do this. We’re going to make it.’”
The project was completed under a tight timeline, requiring long hours and coordination among students.
“I love it. I could not be more proud of me and my classmates that we pulled all of this together in the time, because we did it in two weeks,” Sander said. “It was long nights where everybody stayed and helped out for sure. It was a lot of teamwork. We got really close. And when we got done, we were all just staring at it for two hours and couldn’t look away. It was beautiful.”
Beyond the finished piece, students navigated logistical and technical challenges typically encountered in professional fabrication work.
“You see a box and you don’t really think what goes into this box or what you really have to do and measure and all the math that goes into it,” Sander said. “Honestly, figuring out our budget, where we get the material bent, what the measurements are, how tall we want it — these are all things that we had to take into consideration.”
Posten said the complexity of the build pushed students beyond classroom exercises, requiring them to consider structural integrity and environmental factors.
“Most people see the sheet metal on the outside, but there’s a lot of thought that has to go into reinforcing it, making it long-term stable for hurricanes or anything like that,” he said. “The flags that are on top have quite a bit of weight and also are going to take a lot of wind load. So they had to think through how to reinforce all that and support all that weight on top of the tomb itself.”
He said the experience was designed to mirror real-world expectations in the field, from planning to execution.
“Our goal is always to put them in as real a situation as possible,” Posten said. “They had to deal with the budget. They had to deal with materials that weren’t just, ‘If it doesn’t work out, we throw it in a scrap bin.’ It had to be an end product that would be sellable in any other case.”
The process also required students to adapt quickly when plans changed or materials were lost, reinforcing problem-solving skills.
“They had to pretty much go from start to finish on the whole build,” Posten said. “When things went wrong and we lost material, how are we going to make up for that? When things changed, we had to pivot on a moment’s notice because we didn’t have time to sit on it.”
For Sander, participating in the statewide effort marked a milestone in her training.
“It honestly means so much to me to be a part of this,” she said. “Nobody in the welding class has ever done that big of a project before. And knowing that that’s going to be there forever is amazing to me.”
Posten said the project’s impact extends beyond the competition, giving students confidence as they enter the workforce.
“Biggest takeaway for them would be the confidence that they got from it,” he said. “I think this will push them to the point of going for the job that they may never have gone for otherwise.”
The finished piece is currently displayed at the college’s Eastman Training Complex, with plans to showcase it during upcoming commencement ceremonies before determining a permanent location.