Ganado welding program produces 8 AWS-certified seniors in December testing
Submitted | Jon Yazzie
Ganado High School senior Shinea Golden practices overhead welding, an out-of-position technique performed on the underside of a joint. The work demands steady control as gravity pulls molten metal downward during the weld.
By Krista Allen
Navajo Times
PAGE – Eight students at Ganado High School passed a professional welding certification test in December, earning credentials that typically take six months to years of training to achieve.
The eight were among 17 seniors who took the American Welding Society certification test as part of the school’s rapidly growing welding program, which now enrolls 33 students. Testing them a full semester early gave program completers the chance to earn AWS certification while still having time to focus on their Technical Skills Assessments and other graduation requirements in the spring.
Jon Yazzie, the Career and Technical Education District CTE coordinator for N.A.T.I.V.E. in Kayenta who administered the test, drew from his experience participating in numerous certification tests on job sites across the country to replicate the exact testing process for students. The process included completing the AWS Welding Performance Qualification form, orientation and the final bend test.
To read the full article, please see the Jan. 15, 2026,, edition of the Navajo Times.
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