CGTC nominates 16 for GOAL Award

Instructors at Central Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins, Macon, and Milledgeville have nominated 16 outstanding students for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) award, according to Janet Kelly, coordinator for the college’s GOAL program.

GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 24 technical colleges, as well as one Board of Regents college with a technical education division.  

Each year, instructors are asked to nominate their best and brightest students for the college-level award.

To qualify, students much carry at least a 3.0 GPA, a 2 or better in work ethics grades, and have completed at least 12 semesters hours of coursework prior to being nominated. Instructors also use other criteria to determine nominees, such as commitment to technical education and career choice, leadership ability, communication, as well as others.

Chosen for recognition by their instructors are Alan Atkinson of Macon, an electronics technology student nominated by Glen Stone; Kerris Beddingfield of Eatonton, a radiology technology student nominated by Stephanie Allen; Jarvaris Bennett of Gray, a dental hygiene student nominated by Pam Mazaris; Austin Carver of Hawkinsville, a criminal justice student nominated by Iris Hill; Jonathan Davidson of Danville, an industrial systems student nominated by Antonio Shelley; Dawn Hall of Warner Robins, a paralegal studies student nominated by Jana Bruner; Kalonda Hughes of Bonaire, a practical nursing student nominated by Anne Sartain; Kisha Johnson of Perry, a business administrative technology student nominated by Sam Lester; Pamela ‘Sissy’ Jordan of Macon, a cardiovascular technology student nominated by Tiffini Strickland; Erica Joyner of Byron, an emergency management technology student nominated by Judy Jaeger; Geordon Martin of Warner Robins, a computer information systems networking specialist student nominated by Felicia Everidge; Daniel Merrett of Warner Robins, an automotive technology student nominated by Brian McIlrath; Kristen Nelson of Byron, a cardiovascular technology student nominated by Tiffini Strickland; Stephanie Posey of Gray, a business administrative technology student nominated by Casie Bridges;  Michelle Turner of Bonaire, a paralegal studies student nominated Jana Bruner; and Riley Windham of Jeffersonville, an industrial systems student nominated by Antonio Shelley.

“The purpose of the GOAL program is to spotlight the outstanding achievement by students in Georgia’s technical colleges and to emphasize the importance of technical education in today’s global workforce,” said Kelly. “CGTC’s nominees all display the characteristics of leadership and academic excellence. We are proud of this group of students and look forward to selecting the College’s representative for the state-level competition.”

All 16 students will interview and give a speech to help the panel of judges to determine the top four overall. The top four finalists at CGTC will be announced Oct. 31. These students will then participate in a second interview round with a panel of community leaders to determine the College’s winner.

The student judged most outstanding will be designated as CGTC’s GOAL winner and move on to the Central Region competition held at Central Georgia Technical College’s Macon campus in February. The top three from each of three regions will make up the nine semi-finalists for the state award. The announcement of the state’s top nine will be made in April at the state GOAL conference in Atlanta. The nine regional finalists will interview at the state level for the title of state GOAL winner.

The student who earns the title of state GOAL winner serves as the ambassador for technical education in Georgia. This person will travel across the state promoting the Technical College System of Georgia, even making a stop in the General Assembly during the annual session. To make that travel easier, the state winner also receives a new car from Chevrolet, the statewide corporate sponsor of Georgia’s GOAL program.

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