North Georgia Technical College recently named four students as finalists for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership. GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students.
NGTC’s finalists are Teresa Burton of Cleveland, a culinary arts student nominated by instructor Alex Bladowski; Kristen Henderson, a medical assisting student from Mineral Bluff, Georgia, who was nominated by her instructor Carrie Rodriguez; Sydney Roberts of Statesboro, nominated by photography instructor, Melissa Henderson; and Jana Walker, an early childhood care and education student from Cleveland who was nominated by early childhood instructor Kelly Smith.
Other nominees this year include Samantha Byers of Blairsville; Valentino DiGiorgio of Hartwell; James Edley of Buford; Corey Fern of Clarkesville; Pamela Grindle of Cleveland; Emily Linz of Cornelia; Olivia Lowman of Blairsville; Alexander Mullins of Hiawassee; Ariana Reel of Mineral Bluff; Lana Rice of Toccoa; Nannie Sesser of Cleveland; Kimberly Shirley of Tiger; Joseph Smith of Eastanollee; Samantha Turner of Toccoa; Carmen Vidal of Toccoa; and Maria Yepez Garcia of Tiger.
“We are very proud of each of these students for their hard work and dedication to pursuing excellence in their chosen programs,” says NGTC GOAL Coordinator Madison Hopkins. “The nominees have done a tremendous job representing NGTC, and I know our judges had a difficult time selecting the finalists from such an outstanding group of students. We wish them all continued success as they achieve their goals.”
The four finalists will compete on January 12, 2023, in front of a panel of business, civic, and industry leaders, who will select the college’s 2023 GOAL winner. The NGTC GOAL winner will then represent NGTC at the regional and state competitions.
