FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2008
Contact Ben Chambers, (770) 537-5756

West Central Technical College names semi-finalists for GOAL Award

Four West Central Technical College students have been selected as the College’s semi-finalists for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), according to Elise Johnson, coordinator for West Central Technical College’s GOAL program.

Chosen as semifinalists are  Shelley Amandolia of Carrollton, Early Childhood Care and Education; Jennifer Collins of Douglasville, Registered Nursing; Marie Holbrook of Newnan, Accounting; and Rachel Salazar of Senoia, Advanced Dental Assisting.

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 33 technical colleges as well as the four Board of Regents colleges with technical education divisions. 

GOAL winners from each campus will compete in Atlanta in May and one will be named as the statewide GOAL winner.

WCTC President Dr. Skip Sullivan said GOAL is an important way for WCTC students to get exposure on a state level.

“We are proud of the excellence and professionalism our students display,” Sullivan said. “We know the College winner will represent us well among the state’s best and brightest minds in technical education. Any one of these finalists would be an excellent ambassador for WCTC and the technical college system.”

Johnson, who serves as WCTC’s Director of Career Services, agreed. “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,” she said.

A screening committee of administrators at West Central Technical College selected the four semifinalists from a list of students nominated by their instructors. 

“The next step is for a panel of business, civic and industry leaders from the community to interview and evaluate these four students and select one to be the college’s 2008 GOAL winner,” Johnson said.  “The one judged most outstanding will compete in Atlanta against college GOAL winners from each of the Georgia’s technical colleges and Board of Regents colleges with technical divisions and vie to be named as the 2008 statewide GOAL winner.”

The state GOAL winner becomes the student ambassador for the Technical College System of Georgia and receives a grand prize of a new car provided by Chevrolet, the statewide corporate sponsor of Georgia’s GOAL program.

West Central Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties, offers over 90 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Central last year served over 10,000 students including credit enrollment, adult education, ESL classes, continuing education and corporate training.

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