THOMASVILLE — Four finalists have been selected from Southwest Georgia Technical College students who were nominated by their instructors to compete for the 42nd Annual Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership.

GOAL, which was established in 1971 by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), is an award that focuses on student excellence in technical education through their academic excellence and personal achievement. According to Ellen Terrell, SWGTC GOAL Coordinator, teachers select students based on their leadership skills, academic accomplishments, career goals and personal goals.

“The GOAL program gives our college the opportunity to not only recognize our most outstanding students, but also to spotlight technical education and its impact on the state of Georgia. Students nominated for the GOAL award not only excel academically, but they also exhibit outstanding leadership qualities,” said Terrell.

The nominees made presentations to a screening committee last week and were evaluated on their leadership abilities, academic achievement, knowledge of technical education, and educational and career goals.

Screening committee members for 2013 were Mae Hatcher, Jane Shirah, Ross Jones, Beth Price and Chuck Weaver.

The four finalists selected for GOAL 2013 are Carrie Carter (Business Management), Marilyn Manning (Associate of Science in Nursing), Jade Marshall (Business Management), and Ashley McDaniel (Associate of Science in Nursing).

“The four GOAL students who were nominated by their instructors represent some of the best students we have at SWGTC. These students have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in the classroom and throughout their entire time here at the college. They are all winners and we wish each and every one of them good luck in the next phase of the GOAL competition,” commented Dr. Wentworth, SWGTC President.

These finalists will proceed to a second round of judging and a winner for the college will be selected. This winner will be announced at the Friday meeting of the Thomasville Kiwanis Club.

The SWGTC GOAL winner will represent the college at the regional competition to be hosted at Moultrie Technical College (Tifton Campus) on Feb.  28. All regional winners will compete for the TCSG GOAL Winner title, which will be announced at the GOAL and Rick Perkins Award Ceremony on April 25 in Atlanta.

This TCSG GOAL winner will serve as the statewide representative and ambassador of technical education in Georgia for 2013. A new car will also be awarded to the state GOAL winner, who will make appearances throughout the year promoting technical education.

The Technical College System of Georgia sponsors the state-wide GOAL competition, and the Thomasville Kiwanis Club and the SWGTC Student Council are local sponsors.

Southwest Georgia Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.