Warner Robins, Ga. – Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) recently announced its five students for the 2024 Georgia Occupational Award for Leadership (GOAL) Program.
Ashanti Brown, Welding and Joining Technology, Emma Hughes, Welding and Joining Technology, Toler Thompson, Registered Nursing, David Watts, Aviation Maintenance and Courtney Yoder, Registered Nursing were selected amongst their peers to continue in the competition.
Instructors at CGTC nominated students during the fall semester for the recognition, where students compete for the honor of being the College’s student of the year.
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 22 technical colleges.
“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 JoBen Rivera-Thompson, CGTC’s Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and International Outreach, and GOAL Coordinator.
A screening committee of administrators reviewed each of the instructors’ nominations then conducted personal interviews with the students. The five finalists will compete to be CGTC’s GOAL winner for 2024 at the end of the month.
The next round of interviews and evaluations is completed by a selection committee of representatives from local business and industry. That panel will consider the students’ qualities like academic achievement, personal character, leadership abilities and enthusiasm for technical education.
The student judged most outstanding will be designated as the college’s GOAL winner and move on to the regional competition. Then three from each of the three regions will make up the nine regional finalists, who will be named in April at the state GOAL conference in Atlanta. The nine regional finalists will then move to the state level and compete for the title of State GOAL Winner, TCSG’s Student of the Year.
Additional nominees for GOAL who competed at CGTC included, Jaylada Cates, Radiologic Technology, Eihlan Fitch, Echocardiography, Haley Johnson, General Studies, Gloria McDonald, Cosmetology, Nathan Schumacker, Paralegal Studies, Patricia Tennille, Precision Machining and Manufacturing Technology.
The student who earns the State GOAL Winner title is also awarded the important responsibility of traveling the state as the ambassador for the entire technical college system. To make that travel easier, the winner also receives a new car from KIA, the statewide corporate sponsor of Georgia’s GOAL program.