AMERICUS — Four South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) students have been selected as the college’s semi-finalists for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), according to Cynthia Carter, coordinator for the South Georgia Tech GOAL program.

Chosen as semifinalists are: Kerry Beaver of Americus, culinary arts; Merideth McCullough of Rochelle, marketing management; Rebecca Rhodes of Abbeville, accounting; and Kieron Zanders of Vienna, barbering. Beaver and Zanders were nominees from SGTC’s Americus campus, and McCullough and Rhodes were finalists from the Cordele campus.

The finalists, as well as the other GOAL nominees, were recognized at a recent GOAL luncheon in the Pope Center of SGTC’s Americus campus.

GOAL Coordinator Carter welcomed the students and recognized the GOAL screening and selection committees. The GOAL screening committee consisted of SGTC staff members Mark Brooks, director of Administrative Services; Deborah Jones, Ed.D., assistant vice president for Academic Affairs; Lemond Hall, director of Evening Operations; Dianne Trueblood, Media specialist; and Julie Partain, registrar.

The selection committee, which interviewed the finalists after the luncheon, consisted of Jackie Bryce, co-owner of Star Racing; Daron Butler, vice president of Community Relations at Magnolia Manor; Angela Westra, president of the Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce; Mary Wysochansky, owner and nurse practitioner of After Hours Care; and Don Smith, special assistant to the president at SGTC.

Dean for Academic Affairs Raymond Holt gave the invocation, and the GOAL nominees, nominating instructors, screening and selection committees, faculty, staff, and friends and family of the nominees enjoyed a catered lunch from Aramark.

Following lunch, the semifinalists’ nominating instructors introduced the students, and each student addressed the luncheon attendees with a three-minute introduction.

Walter Dennard, barbering instructor on SGTC’s Americus campus, introduced his nominee Kieron Zanders.

“Kieron is a very fine young man,” said Dennard. “He plans to open his own unisex shop in Vienna, and his family is his driving force for his business venture.”

Zanders said that he was offered a full basketball scholarship at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, but left after one term to pursue a career in the military. After three years in the military, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Fort Valley State University and moved to Atlanta to be an assistant manager at Walmart.

“I have a nine year-old son and a six year-old daughter, and there was simply not enough time to spend with my family,” said Zanders. “Something had to change. I have 20 years of experience cutting hair, but after entering the barbering program, I realized just how little I knew!”

Sara Benson, SGTC accounting instructor on the Cordele campus, introduced her student, Rebecca Rhodes.

“Rebecca is very active in her community,” said Benson. “She volunteers at the Abbeville Fire Department and owns her own cleaning service.”

“I love being active in my community,” said Rhodes. “I am involved in a mentoring program at a local middle school and I also visit the residents at the local nursing home.”

Rhodes explained how her difficult family life as a child inspired her to mentor youth, mentioning that she wanted to show young people that they deserved to be happy and to live good lives. Rhodes has owned her cleaning business since she was 17 years old. Rhodes said her husband encouraged her to attend SGTC after earning his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification through SGTC’s Cordele campus.

SGTC marketing management instructor on the Cordele campus Karen Bloodworth introduced her GOAL nominee, Merideth McCullough, as “a fighter.”

Bloodworth said, “She has had many trials and journeys, but also many triumphs.”

“Coming to SGTC was a random act of pure desperation,” laughed McCullough. “There was a moment when I was crammed into my tiny car on a trip to Atlanta with my five children and our dog when I realized that something had to change.” McCullough has a spinal condition, so instead of being a laborer, she needed a job that was more mentally-focused. That’s what brought her to the marketing management program at SGTC. “People have told me my life was impossible,” said McCullough. “I’m so glad I didn’t listen.”

David Finley, SGTC culinary arts instructor, said that his student, Kerry Beaver, “is very independent and has a great attitude.” Finley said that Beaver took advantage of what technical education had to offer, and that he was proud of her accomplishments. He also noted that Kerry was a national winner when she represented SGTC in SkillsUSA Food and Beverage Service last year.

“I’m so thankful that I’ve had my family and instructors to push me through this process,” said Beaver. “I had worked my way up through the culinary industry, and at 34, I found myself jobless and moving back home to live with my grandmother. Every day since becoming a student at SGTC, I have learned something new not only about the culinary arts industry, but about myself as well. I feel like I’m truly walking the path I was meant to follow.”

The other GOAL award nominees included Vanecia L. Johnson of Montezuma, early childhood care and education; Kizzy L. Eke of Americus, criminal justice technology; Pauline A. Stewart of Ellaville, accounting; Dorothy A. Wilcher of Americus, business administrative technology; Danny S. Daniels of Americus, air  conditioning technology; Shakeitha M. Bartley of Americus, marketing management; Dorris W. Persall of Cordele, electronics technology; and Timothy Hicks of Vienna, welding and joining technology.

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 26 technical colleges as well as the two Board of Regents colleges with technical education divisions.

All the college GOAL winners will compete in regional judging, which will include students from the other 26 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia as well as the two Board of Regents colleges with technical education divisions.

GOAL winners from each college will compete in regional judging in March and April. In May, all college winners will come to Atlanta where the nine finalists, three finalists from each of the three regions, will be announced and compete at the state-level in May and one student will be named as the statewide GOAL winner.

"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," said Cynthia Carter.

Immediately following the luncheon, a panel of business, civic and industry leaders from the community interviewed and evaluated the four students.

“The one judged most outstanding will compete in southwest regional judging.  Three finalists from the southwest region will compete in the state GOAL competition in Atlanta and vie to be named as the 2012 statewide GOAL winner.”

The announcement of SGTC’s GOAL winner is forthcoming.

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.