From Nampa to SpaceX: ISU Welding Grad Now Builds Starship Components

A former Idaho State University welding student now spends her days building parts of SpaceX's Starship rocket, a career path she traces back to a high school welding class in Nampa, Idaho.

Anna Coulombe has been welding for nearly six years, with this fall marking the start of her sixth. She grew up in a family that spent weekends off-roading, and watching those vehicles get built and repaired gave her an early appreciation for the trade. When her high school offered a welding class, she signed up without hesitation.

Her high school instructor, Harrison Hughes, noticed her ability and pushed her toward welding competitions.

"If it wasn't for the ICAT welding program and him, I don't think I would have found Idaho State Welding or gotten to where I stand today," Coulombe said.

Hughes had spoken highly of Idaho State's program and arranged for Coulombe and other students to tour the campus. She said it only took a couple of hours there for her to know she'd found the right fit, drawn in as much by the people as by the training itself.

Coulombe's path to SpaceX started at a national welding competition through Project MFG, where students welded model space shuttles out of several types of metal. There, she met an instructor from the College of Southern Idaho who was competing with his own student. He remembered her from the event and later reached out about testing for SpaceX. Coulombe took the weld test, completed two interviews and received a job offer.

She credits Idaho State's instructors for preparing her for that opportunity, both technically and professionally. As one of relatively few women in the field, she said she was met with respect from her first day in the program.

Coulombe now works on Starship's "PEZ dispenser," the mechanical system that deploys Starlink satellites from the rocket.

"Watching my goals become reality is something I will never take for granted," Coulombe said.

Her advice to current Idaho State welding students centers on two essential attitudes for professional growth: persisting through the most difficult stretches of training and maintaining a teachable mindset. She explained that while progress isn't always visible day to day, the students who improve the fastest are those who actively seek feedback by showing instructors their imperfect welds to learn exactly how to fix them.

"Growth comes from being teachable, and that's what will continue to set you apart throughout your career," Coulombe said.