Growing up, Mikala Sposito dreamed of being a trailblazer.

“I always wanted to be the first female to do something,” she said.

That dream is about to be realized.

The 21-year-old from Dexter, Michigan, will be the first woman to represent the United States in welding at the WorldSkills Competition in China.

Sposito, a student at Washtenaw Community College, earned the coveted spot by winning the USA Weld Trials in Huntsville, Alabama, earlier this year.