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Meet the Makers: Students Turning Passion into Purpose
Meet The Makers: Logan Bathrick
Every year, students across the country step into a Project MFG event not knowing what to expect, and walk out with a new skill, a new passion, or a new direction for their future. Our new series, Meet the Makers: Students Turning Passion into Purpose, celebrates those stories and the young talent shaping the next generation of the trades. To start things off, we’re highlighting Logan Bathrick, an 18-year-old from Yuma, Arizona, whose first Project MFG welding challenge helped ignite a career path he never saw coming.
When you meet Logan Bathrick, you quickly realize he’s not your average freshman in college. He’s juggling classes at Arizona Western College, two jobs, and an ambitious path toward an Associate of Applied Science in Welding, all while also pursuing a major in crop production. But for Logan, hard work isn’t something to shy away from. As the oldest of six siblings, he’s always felt a drive to push himself, set the bar high, and show his younger brothers and sisters what’s possible.
But if you ask Logan where the spark for welding came from, he’ll tell you the truth:
It didn’t happen in a classroom. It happened at a Project MFG event.
Where It All Started
For Logan, the Youth Welding Challenge wasn’t just another event; it was the moment something clicked.
Logan first heard about Project MFG back in 2022 when he was just 15 years old. His mom signed him and a few siblings up to participate in the Yuma Youth Welding Challenge hosted at Weld like a Girl, and little did he know that this experience would set the path for his future career.
“I knew a little about welding before the Youth Welding Challenge, but it wasn’t until the Youth Welding Challenge event that I became amazed… Actually getting that hands-on experience is where I fell in love with it.”
That real, hands-on experience from putting on the gear, to grabbing the torch and laying his first welds is what made him realize that welding wasn’t just “neat.” It was something he could see himself doing for life.
A shared journey
One of the strongest influences on Logan’s welding journey wasn’t a teacher or class; it was his dad.
When Logan decided to take welding seriously, his dad made the decision to learn alongside him. Welding became more than a career path. It became father–son time, a shared challenge, and a shared source of pride.
That bond helped fuel his momentum, and so did his instructors. Logan credits Professor Alverado at AWC for his deep knowledge, and Shanen Aranmor for opening his eyes to new possibilities, including maritime welding.
Project MFG, his instructors, and his family created the perfect mix of support, challenge, and inspiration.
How Project MFG Shaped his Future
For Logan, the Youth Welding Challenge wasn’t just an event. It was the moment he discovered he was actually good at welding, and that it could be a path into a stable, creative, hands-on career.
Running a MIG welder for the first time during the Youth Welding Challenge helped him realize:
He loves working with his hands
He thrives in environments where he can build and create
Welding gives him a sense of belonging and purpose
That experience helped set his trajectory for the next few years. By the time he graduated high school, he had already been taking college classes for years and entered AWC nearly on track to finish with sophomore-level credits.
Today, Logan is exploring different areas of welding, with maritime welding now at the top of his list.
Advice from a student who's been there
Logan knows what it feels like to be brand new, frustrated, and wondering if you’re cut out for the skilled trades. His advice?
“Stay patient. It’s all about practice and persistence. You need to practice until it becomes second nature.”
“If it’s hard at first, don’t get frustrated and say, ‘I can’t do this.’ Stay patient and those skills will come to you.”
And for anyone unsure whether welding is right for them:
“You have to get in the booth and give it a try. It’s awesome what you can create… Within your one little booth, you can let your imagination go wild.”
“It’s more than a career. It’s a creative outlet.”
Why Logan is a Maker
Logan represents exactly what Meet the Makers is all about. Students discovering their purpose through opportunity, mentorship, and the courage to try something new.
Project MFG gave him the space to explore welding, and that simple introduction helped shape the direction of his education, his goals, and his future career. Now, he’s on a path that feels like home.
And it all started with some “random” Youth Welding Challenge that his mom signed him and a few of us siblings up for back in 2022.
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