On January 20, 2022, Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) honored its finalists and respective institutional recipients of four superlative prizes for 2022 at the Southwest Georgia Bank Conference Center in Moultrie, GA. The College named two student winners: Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) student Katie Brey and Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) delegate Violeta Ramirez. As well, the College highlighted the accomplishments of two instructors: Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Education recipient Cory Miller, and Adult Education Teacher of the Year Judy Abell. The four awards represent excellence in their respective areas of technical and adult education.
"The annual awards luncheon is an opportunity for us to celebrate our College's ‘Best of the Best.’ We are so proud of these students and faculty for their academic and teaching endeavors as well as their contributions to the college and community. They truly represent what makes our College remarkable," said Jim Glass, President of SRTC.
The annual GOAL competition begins during the fall semester when technical college instructors across Georgia identify their most promising students and nominate them for the GOAL competition based on academic achievement and personal leadership. Southern Regional Technical College’s 2022 GOAL Delegate is Practical Nursing student Katie Brey of Tifton. As a student returning to college after an extended break, Brey has become an advocate for technical education as a first choice. In her words, “For years, many people have believed that graduating from an accredited 4-year college or university was the only path to a successful career… There is a stigma that technical college is for people who cannot make it in a university and is a second choice. We need to change that perception and educate people that a technical education should be a viable first choice.” Brey’s fellow finalists were Peyton Donaldson, Kelly Sanders, and Chloe Perkins. Brey will compete at the regional and state levels of the GOAL competition during the spring semester, where she will meet GOAL delegates from across Georgia.
The EAGLE Program celebrates adult learners in pursuit of excellence. This singular statewide program recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in statewide adult education classes. Selection criteria include student character, attitude, attendance, leadership, and community involvement and activities. Adult Education instructors in public, private, and grantee agencies nominate students at the local program level to participate in the EAGLE recognition program at the state level.
Every EAGLE delegate is an ambassador and spokesperson for literacy, serving local communities and the state by promoting lifelong learning. The 2022 Adult Education Student of the Year is Violeta Ramirez of Moultrie, whose journey to a better life began when she was just a little girl. “When I was five, my parents moved our family from Guatemala to America in search of a better life. They wanted their children to have a good education and live successful lives. The American Dream. I wanted that too,” she said. After earning her GED, Violeta plans to continue her education at Southern Regional Technical College, where she will pursue an education in the medical field. Ramirez will travel to Atlanta this spring to meet and compete with the state’s EAGLE delegates. Throughout the year, she will attend partner meetings and events to share her story, and to promote literacy and adult education. Ramirez is continuing to pursue her goals by enrolling in college courses at SRTC-Tifton.
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their respective fields. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the award was renamed in honor and memory of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Central Technical College, who received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely passing. The TCSG provides oversight for the Rick Perkins Award program through the college Presidents’ Academic Affairs Committee and the state planning committee. The winner of this year’s award is Cory Miller of Tifton, a Welding and Joining and Carpentry instructor at Worth County High School through SRTC’s Dual Enrollment program. “The dual enrollment program has given the students a jump start in life,” said Miller. “Here they are able to test the water to see what career path would be best for them. They can then continue with college after graduation and earn their diploma or degree much sooner. This enables those students to be productive citizens and to provide for their families much sooner. It has been my pleasure to watch each of these students work hard and advance their skill set.” Other finalists for this award were Mathematics Program Chair Leigh Pannell and Commercial Truck Driving Program Chair Kerrie Wilson. Miller will compete at the regional and state levels of the Rick Perkins Award competition during the spring semester.
The newest award of the group is the Adult Education Teacher of the Year. For 2022, the College named Judy Abell of Enigma their Adult Education Teacher of the Year. After a thirty-year career in public education, Abell felt the pull to serve students in a different setting. “As adult educators, we meet students where they are and provide them with quality education and workforce preparation skills; so that when they leave our program we have bridged the gap between our students’ former educational journey and their transition into college to pursue technical skills or higher education or into the workforce as a more skilled employee,” she said. SRTC designed the Adult Education program for those individuals who need assistance with basic academic skills. Program services include instruction in basic skills, literacy, high school equivalency preparation and testing, and an English language acquisition program. Adult Education services are free and available at various locations in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties.
SRTC offers over 130 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get you quickly into your desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties for the convenience of our students. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu.
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