With training from MATC, Hallee Tretow turned her passion for welding into a career
Hallee standing in front of welding machinery
Hallee's path to a welding career
Sparks flew the first time Hallee Tretow held a welding torch. Tretow was 16 and a sophomore at Ozaukee High School. The welding tank was switched on, the nozzle heated up and a hot jet of gas started searing metal. She was gobsmacked. “I had seen welding being done in videos and television, but at that moment I realized that it was me actually doing it,” Tretow recalled. “I felt like it was the coolest thing.” Since then, welding has forged success after success for Tretow. She spent her senior year of high school taking welding courses at MATC’s Mequon Campus through a dual enrollment program developed by the college and the Northern Ozaukee School District. In 2023, she graduated with a technical diploma the same day she earned her high school diploma. She got a full-time job welding at Wisconsin Stamping & Manufacturing in Germantown, received three scholarships from the American Welding Society, and in May, earned an associate degree in Welding Technology from MATC. Tretow, who turned 20 in April, left college debt-free, with a job and unlimited career possibilities in her chosen field. “The amount of career opportunities really expands when you get that extra schooling,” Tretow said of her associate degree. “Demand for welders is very high, and job security is a big thing for me.” She added, “It’s kind of scary how much debt you can run up going to college. The cost of living is stressful. I don’t have a lot of those worries, and I think it gives me a lot more freedom.” For the most part, Tretow has found that freedom by herself. Since high school, she has been one of the few women, if not the only woman, in her shop classes, MATC courses and her workplace. In 2010, 6.7% of professional welders in the United States were women, according to federal labor statistics. By 2022, the number had increased to 7.7%.
Tretow was raised by a single mother who has cheered her daughter’s choices all the way. “My mom has always been very supportive of my studies of welding,” she said. “She always pushes me to take all of the opportunities I am given and to always try my best.” To earn her associate degree, Tretow attended classes two days a week at MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee and West Allis campuses, and worked 10 hours a day, from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., three days a week welding parts used to build electrical components and farm machinery. “I can work in my own headspace,” she said. “You develop a rhythm. I listen to music and do my work. They also are supportive of the fact that I want to try new things and learn as much as I can.” At MATC, she made the honor roll in the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. She credited her instructors, Bill Peterson, Darrel Iwanski and Lee Cerveny, for her welding success. “They have all helped me so much to continue my education and have all talked with me one-on-one about what I can do to advance my career,” Tretow said. “Hearing about how long they have been in this field and how far it has taken them in life really is special to me as someone who is just starting out.” In recognition of her accomplishments, Tretow was featured in the January 2025 issue of the American Welding Society’s Welding Journal. Tretow is a student member of the national welding society. “Being featured in a globally recognized publication is a remarkable achievement and a testament to Hallee’s dedication, hard work and the strong network she has built along the way,” said Peterson, the college’s lead welding instructor. “Her future in the welding industry looks incredibly bright.”
I had seen welding being done in videos and television, but at that moment I realized that it was me actually doing it. I felt like it was the coolest thing.
Hallee is seen welding putting her practice to metal