A registered nursing student at North Georgia Technical College’s Blairsville campus won the college’s 2024 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL).
Maria Zavala de Orozco was nominated by her instructor, Dr. Martha Marquardt.
The GOAL program honors excellence in academics and leadership. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and demonstrate a strong work ethic and leadership skills.
Other NGTC students nominated for this year’s award are Angie Bartron of Blairsville, Kaitlyn Crosby of Mount Airy, and Paul Hopkins of Toccoa.
Each of the 22 schools in the Technical College System of Georgia choose one student to compete at the regional level.
TCSG also honors its top faculty with the annual Rick Perkins Award (RPA) for Excellence in Technical Instruction. Like GOAL, each school selects a winner.
This year, NGTC presented its RPA to medical assisting instructor Vanessa Lone, who has worked at the college since 2014.
“I am honored to recognize these outstanding students and faculty for their hard work and commitment to technical education,” says NGTC President John Wilkinson. “I commend each of them for their dedication and perseverance in competing for these distinguished awards and in achieving their personal career goals.”
Zavala de Orozco and Lone will now represent NGTC at the regional competition, scheduled for March 12.
Last year’s NGTC GOAL winner, Teresa Burton of Cleveland, was the first runner-up in state competition.
