Photo: (L to R) Tina-Kay Rhoden – GOAL Winner; Kelli Owen – Rick Perkins Award Winner
(DeKalb County, January 24, 2019) – – Tina-Kay Rhoden, an Interdisciplinary Studies student at Georgia Piedmont Technical College from Conyers has been named as the college’s winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL).
The announcement was made at the college’s GOAL recognition event on January 24, 2019 in the DeKalb Campus Conference Center.
Rhoden was chosen by a panel of local leaders over three other nominees for the award. The runners-up were Angel Caldwell, Paralegal Studies major; Andrew Cunningham, Paralegal Studies major; and Daniel Phillips, Paralegal Studies major.
GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges.
The announcement of Rhoden as the Georgia Piedmont GOAL winner was made by Dr. Kohle Paul, Vice President of Student Affairs.
Rhoden will now proceed to regional judging. All college GOAL winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta for three days in April. Nine regional finalists, three finalists from the three regions, will be announced in Atlanta on April 17, 2019. A panel of leaders from the business, industry and government sectors will interview them and choose one to be the 2019 State GOAL Winner, TCSG’s Student of the Year, and the recipient of the GOAL medallion.
The grand prize also includes a brand new car, courtesy of Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, the statewide corporate sponsor of the GOAL program.
“I knew there was a better life for me and GPTC was the doors that I could walk through and make a step that would change my life forever.” Rhoden stated during her acceptance speech at the GOAL & Rick Perkins Luncheon. Rhoden chose to attend Georgia Piedmont Technical College to earn her degree and pursue a career as a Research Doctor.
Kelli Owen, a Criminal Justice instructor in the School of Public Safety and Legal Studies is the college’s Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Education winner. This award represents the teacher of the year. The award has been an ongoing statewide achievement for college faculty who make a significant contribution to technical education through innovation and leadership in their field. Both Owen and Rhoden received a $500 check from the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation.