Warner Robins, Ga. – Ekaterina Mirzakulova, Ph.D., a Chemistry instructor at Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC), has been named the 2025 recipient of the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction. She was selected as CGTC’s Instructor of the Year after a multistep interview process following her nomination by peers for this prestigious award.
A native of Uzbekistan, Mirzakulova, is affectionately known as Dr. Kate amongst her students and peers. She began her academic journey when she learned that a professor from the United States was recruiting students from a neighboring country for a graduate program at Bowling Green State University. Soon after, she used her family’s savings to buy a plane ticket to meet the professor, who administered a chemistry test. Several months later, she received the exciting news that she had been selected for the Ph.D. program in Chemistry. Her parents contributed their retirement savings to help fund her trip to the U.S., marking the beginning of her American journey.
After earning her Ph.D. in Photochemical Sciences from Bowling Green State University in 2013, Dr. Mirzakulova worked as a postdoctoral associate at North Carolina State University. She also held teaching positions at various institutions, including Columbus State University, before joining CGTC as a chemistry instructor.
“Joining CGTC has been the best decision I’ve ever made,” she exclaimed. “From day one, I knew I belonged here and could make a difference in my students’ lives. CGTC has been incredibly supportive during some of my most challenging times, for which I am forever grateful. I am happy to be part of a college that offers opportunities for everyone who walks through our doors.”
Mirzakulova’s courses and instruction are often crucial in the academic success of students in health sciences programs. Mirzakulova said Chemistry is foundational in helping to explain the molecular and biochemical processes that occur in the human body. Many cellular functions, such as signal transduction, gene expression, and protein synthesis, involve chemical reactions. Understanding these processes is essential for comprehending how the body functions across many subjects within health sciences programs.
Her input and enthusiasm as an instructor to students in health sciences programs, many of them competitive selection programs, is precisely what they need to make it through academic challenges.
“Because of her commitment to me as an instructor, I was able to finish chemistry with an ‘A’, which I get super emotional thinking about,” said Dental Hygiene student, Brooklynn McDowell, CGTC’s 2025 Georgia Occupational Award for Leadership (GOAL) Student of the Year. “Her belief in me has meant the world to me.” 
Mirzakulova instructed McDowell and is also her nominating instructor for the GOAL Award.
McDowell admitted she had some nerves coming into Chemistry having not taken the course in high school, but the lasting impression she holds of Dr. Kate comes from the moment she started taking her class, where McDowell said, “Dr. Kate invested in me and not just me, but many of her other students.”
Reflecting on her achievement as the College’s RPA Winner, Mirzakulova said it’s an honor to be recognized amongst her peers and students.
“It motivates me to continue striving for excellence and making a positive impact in technical education,” she said.
In addition to her role as instructor, Mirzakulova also advises one of the College’s unique pathways for health sciences, the Medical Professional Pathway with Trinity School of Medicine. The Medical Professions Pathway Transfer Program allows CGTC students who complete a prescribed 77 semester hours of coursework to earn an Associate of Science (AS) Degree in General Studies and a Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) in Healthcare Professions to then transfer to TSOM’s Transition Term at its campus in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Eastern Caribbean.
Once the Transition Term is successfully completed, students may be promoted to the Doctor of Medicine program at Trinity School of Medicine. This offers local and international students the opportunity to become medical doctors licensed to practice medicine in the United States and in several other countries.
Outside of work, Mirzakulova enjoys traveling to new places around the world with her husband. She also enjoys volunteering with organizations like the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and Jay’s Hope Foundation, where she contributes to their meaningful work in the community.
About the Rick Perkins Award
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors the Technical College System of Georgia’s most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the award was renamed in honor and memory of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Georgia Technical College, formerly known as West Central Technical College, who received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely death. The Technical College System of Georgia provides oversight for the Rick Perkins Award program through the system’s office and the state planning committee.
About Central Georgia Technical College
As one of the largest two-year colleges in the state, CGTC operates three campuses and five centers throughout central Georgia, serving more than 30,000 individuals annually. CGTC is focused on connecting graduates to careers by offering quality education services, assuring a well -qualified workforce to support a healthy local economy. CGTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. For more information about CGTC, visit www.centralgatech.edu. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/centralgatech), X (@CGTC), and Instagram (@centralgatech).