Pictured are this year’s top four NGTC GOAL nominees with their nominating instructors behind them. Front row (l-r): Grace Jeffers, Kassidy Wood, Deitra Gray, and Angel Gaddis. Back row (l-r): Allyson Smith, general education instructor; Angie Cowart, business technology instructor; Angie Minish, early childhood education instructor; and Pam Segers, criminal justice instructor.
North Georgia Technical College recently announced the top four students nominated to become the college’s 2020 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) recipient.
The top four students who will compete in January for the college GOAL student are Grace Jeffers, an engineering technology student from Baldwin; Kassidy Wood, a business technology student from Mt. Airy; Deitra Gray, an early childhood education student from Toccoa; and Angel Gaddis, a criminal justice student from Baldwin.
GOAL candidates are nominated by an instructor and must maintain a least a 3.0 GPA and demonstrate strong work ethics and leadership skills.
A total of 28 students from all three of the NGTC campuses of Blairsville, Currahee, and Clarkesville were nominated for the honor by their instructors and participated in a series of competitive interviews and speeches detailing why they chose technical education.
The list narrowed to 12 students before the top four were announced during the competition, and these semi-finalists included Belk, Gaddis, Gray, Green, Henderson, Hollowell, Jeffers, Kellermier, Petty, Stephens, Wells and Woods.
“We are so proud of all these students for not only their hard work in the classroom but for going above and beyond and participating in these GOAL competitions,” says NGTC Vice President of College and Community Relations Amy Hulsey. “This competition process gives our students a chance to experience real-life situations that will be an addition to their resume and give them confidence as they interview for future jobs.”
This statewide award program of the Technical College System of Georgia was started at NGTC in the early 1970s under then-president Jim Marlowe. It continues to honor excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students today.
Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges.
Front Row (L-R) – Cynthia Jones, a medical assisting student from Blairsville; Kassidy Wood, a business technology student from Mt. Airy; Angel Gaddis, a criminal justice student from Baldwin; Kathleen Courtney, a practical nursing student from Blue Ridge; Rhona Hendrix, a medical assisting student from Murphy, NC.
Second Row (L-R) – Deitra Gray, an early childhood education student from Toccoa; Heather Wells, a business technology student from Copperhill, Tenn.; Grace Jeffers, an engineering technology student from Baldwin; Ashley Stephens, a business technology student from Blairsville; Rose Mason, a medical assisting student from Blairsville; Holly Sawyer, a medical assisting student from Blueridge; Deana Kellermier, a medical assisting student from Blairsville.
Back Row (L-R) – Amy Belk, an interdisciplinary studies student from Clarkesville; Alicia Jarrett, a nursing student from Blue Ridge; Christopher Green, a nursing student from Elijay; Kara Hollowell, a nursing student from Blairsville; Cassie Petty, a nursing student from Blue Ridge; Nicole Reed, a medical assisting student from Blue Ridge; Michelle Rodgers, a medical assisting student from Blairsville; Jason Henderson, a business management student from Morganton. Nominees not in photo: Laura Wiley, a photography student from Cornelia; Dora Whitelock, a business management student from Marietta; Hannah Jones, a photography student from Rockmart; Casey Hall, a nursing student from Murrayville; Devonnear Byrd, a business management student from Athens; Annette Balderas-Nunez, a photography student from Mountain City; and Kristen Ledford, an environmental technology student from Blairsville.
