RAPID CITY, SD – What began as a backyard experiment with rebar and a broken cinder block has come full circle for South Dakota Mines student Caleb Oppelt. 

Oppelt, a junior metallurgical engineering major from Goodwin, S.D., first discovered forging at age 12 while working on a merit badge with his brother. That early interest quickly grew into success with the pair winning back-to-back Junior Bladesmithing Competitions hosted by South Dakota Mines. 

Now, Oppelt has earned one of the most prestigious awards in his field, a $25,000 ELLWOOD scholarship and a paid summer internship, after being selected as the top recipient for the scholarship, awarded annually by the materials manufacturer to college juniors studying materials science. 

“I couldn’t believe it,” Oppelt said of learning he received the scholarship. “They told me that I had not only won, but that they were going to increase the scholarship to $25,000! It was incredible. The rest of my education is now completely paid for. I am so incredibly thankful to Ellwood for the opportunity they have given to me.”

The recognition marks a full-circle moment, transforming a childhood interest into national recognition in metallurgy. 

ELLWOOD representatives recently visited campus to present the award, recognizing not only his academic performance and internship experience, but also his bladesmithing skills; one of his knives recently earned honors at a national competition. Oppelt’s mother, grandmother and younger sister also traveled to Rapid City for the presentation. 

Denise Villanueva, corporate human resources manager for the ELLWOOD Group, said Oppelt’s application, essay, grades and previous internship with Scot Forge – a partner of an ELLWOOD subsidiary – all factored into the selection committee’s decision, as did his bladesmithing abilities.

“The knives … his other experiences with hobbies,” Villanueva said. “They make him very well-rounded.”

Michael West, Ph.D., and head of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at Mines, called the ELLWOOD scholarship a “huge deal” for the program.

“It is one of the largest scholarships for metallurgy that I know of and the largest single scholarship that I know of at our university,” West said.