On April 13, 2017, Gov. Nathan Deal announced the state’s top technical college student and top technical college instructor for 2017. Skylar Huggett of Savannah Technical College received the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) and Ashley Strong-Green of Augusta Technical College received the 2017 Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction.
“Enthusiastic students like Ms. Huggett put forth the hard work and exemplary performance that makes the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) so successful, and devoted instructors such as Ms. Strong-Green guide students on their journey to success. My congratulations and best wishes to the award winners, and I am confident that they will be outstanding ambassadors for the technical college system in the coming year,” stated Gov. Deal
Skylar Huggett is a welding and joining technology student from Savannah Technical College. She obtained an associate of science degree from Georgia Highlands College, and has maintained a spot on the Deans List with a GPA of 4.0 since her start at Savannah Technical College in 2015. Huggett is also president of STC’s student chapter of the American Welding Society. Her passions for welding and joining are displayed through her ambition to quickly master numerous skills and communicate with her team to complete projects. Huggett received the GOAL program’s grand prize: a new, made-in-Georgia 2017 Kia Optima, courtesy of Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia and delivered by Ed Voyles Kia of Chamblee.
“Skylar is the perfect student to represent Georgia’s technical college students as the 2017 GOAL winner,” said Dr. Kathy Love, president of Savannah Technical College.
Ashley Strong-Green is an English and Humanities Instructor at Augusta Technical College. Strong-Green has been teaching at Augusta Technical College since 2013, and graduated from the 2015 Governor’s Teaching Fellow Summer Symposium program. In her acceptance remarks, Strong-Green cited the integral role technical education plays in contributing to the economy of the state and the quality of life of Georgia citizens.
“We are very proud of Ashley. She has been a leader and an innovator since the day she was hired,” said Augusta Technical College President Terry Elam. “She is dedicated and student-centered, and she personifies the academic excellence and high standards of the Technical College System of Georgia.”
The first runner-up for the technical education student of the year was Gisella Brust, a radiologic technology student at Gwinnett Technical College. For the technical education instructor of the year, the first runner-up was Charles Avery, an emergency medical services instructor in the technical division of Bainbridge State College.
The complete list of GOAL and Rick Perkins Award winners is available.
