Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) recently announced its top four Georgia Occupational Award for Leadership (GOAL) finalists.The GOAL competition begins annually during the Fall semester, when technical college instructors across Georgia identify their most promising students and nominate them for GOAL based on academic achievement and personal leadership. SRTC’s top four students met with a panel of judges in Moultrie in early December. In late January, SRTC’s GOAL student will be announced during a luncheon and awards ceremony. That student will go on to compete against the top students from Technical College System of Georgia(TCSG) schools across the state in the Spring.
All four of these students represent excellence in technical education. In the coming weeks, we would like to introduce the readers to these students, including Mrs. Jordan Baugham, originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Before SRTC, Jordan Baugham had already graduated as a student athlete with a full-ride scholarship from a traditional university. The Bachelor of Sociology that she earned at the four-year college, however, proved difficult to translate into a meaningful career.
Deciding to switch gears, Jordan began researching careers in medicine. When she discovered Southern Regional Technical College, she was impressed by the variety of programs available in the medical field at SRTC. She appreciated that the programs offered are hands-on, affordable, and can be completed in two years or less. After exploring her options, Baugham decided to major in Radiologic Technology, a medical field that appealed to her as an athlete. “I had always been fascinated with x-rays. Being an athlete, I had had plenty of them done on myself! I knew I wanted to be able to take care of others, and I have a love for art and photography. The radiology field seemed to combine both of those interests.”
Jordan said that many of her instructors at SRTC have been exemplary, but that her Rad Tech instructors, Amanda Price and Tony Turpin, have truly made the difference in her college experience. “Being at SRTC with the smaller classes and program sizes, I have truly engaged with professors one-on-one. I would pick this education over my university education when it comes to my instructors and how prepared this program has made me feel for the career that I am going to have. They have pushed me and challenged me, encouraged me and supported me. They not only do this for me, but I see them do it with all of my classmates in the program with me. They truly care about how we are doing and want to see us succeed. They are as invested in our success as we are. It is a great feeling and gives me the confidence to know if I struggle, I can turn toward them for help.”
After she graduates, she hopes to work as a Radiologic Technologist and continue her education by cross training in CT or MRI. Eventually, she would like to work towards a management or director position.
Mrs. Baugham credits her athletic training with preparing her for future career success. “Being an athlete my whole life prepared me to never give up, never stop dreaming, and to always have goals to strive for. Soccer taught me leadership, teamwork, communication, my strengths, my weaknesses, and it gave me my confidence. To me, being a part of a sports team is just like preparing for any career. I had to get up early every day, go to practice, and always be on time. We had to communicate as a team to accomplish our goals. We had to work together and realize we cannot do everything on our own. We had to understand that every single member brought something different and unique to the field that made us stronger. Lastly, we had to remember to enjoy ourselves and to do what we love. I think all those things are what we should expect to accomplish every day in a career.”
Jordan now resides in Thomasville with her husband and pup. She is currently President of the Roentgen Ray Society at SRTC and the Health Science Representative for SGA. When she’s not volunteering, working, or studying, she loves to hike and spend time with her little family outdoors.
SRTC wishes all of the finalists good luck during this competition, and feel confident that they will each continue on to great career success and community leadership.