Cobb County Chamber Recognizes GOAL Nominees, Winner

MARIETTA, GA -- At its First Monday Breakfast on April 11, the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce recognized outstanding technical education students of Georgia, including Chattahoochee Technical College’s Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner Jourdan Ortiz, of Stockbridge, who is working toward an Occupational Therapy Assistant degree.

GOAL is a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, which honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s other technical colleges as well as the two Board of Regents colleges with technical education divisions.

This year, more than 30 students were nominated by CTC faculty, with 22 students accepting the nomination. The first round of interviews took place in the fall at the North Metro campus with the college’s internal committee. The students were required to give a three-minute speech on the topic “Technical Education in Georgia,” followed by an interview.

The six finalists had their second interview with an external committee made up of the college’s board of directors as well as community members. The interview included the nominees’ three-minute speech and a series of interview questions. At the end of the interviews, the committee was challenged with selecting CTC’s goal winner, Ortiz.

The five other GOAL nominees were Culinary Arts student Skyler Banks, of Ellijay; Marketing Management student Alexandra (Allie) Heeter, of Woodstock; Practical Nursing student Jewell Lucien, of Marietta; Early Childhood Care & Education student Ellen (Claire) Maston, of Dallas; and Clinical Laboratory Technology student Yasimar Parrilla, of Smyrna.

Image: The Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, at its First Monday Breakfast on April 11, recognized outstanding technical education students of Georgia. Chattahoochee Technical College’s Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) nominee Alexandra (Allie) Heeter, of Woodstock, is pictured with Chattahoochee Technical College President Dr. Ron Newcomb and Cobb Chamber Board of Directors Chairman Terry DeWitt, executive vice president and CFO of First Landmark Bank.