Rhiannon Howard graduated in October 2021, and did not realize until this year that she made $100,000 in her first year of work, she said.
This club is already exclusive and to be a part of it you must earn $100,000 your first year out of KWI. Howard explained she showed her pay stubs as proof to KWI and joined the club.
When joining the $100K Club, your old welder hood gets hung in a place of honor on the wall at KWI and the new club member receives a new hood.
Director of the KWI welding program, Ashley Applegate, said Howard is now part of the ‘golden arms’ and made a special mention of Howard as the first female to be a part of the $100K Club when addressing students at a recent event.
“The $100K Club is something we implemented in our first year. That welding trade school graduates can make $100,000 in their first year is like a myth to some people but when we had our first student make $108,000 in their first year we decided that we wanted to do something special, that’s why we retire their old hood and give them a new hood to make their next $100,ooo with,” Applegate said.