Rick Perkins and GOAL Winners Chosen at Southeastern Tech
Keegan Spell, Radiologic Technology Instructor and Clinical Coordinator, has been awarded Southeastern Technical College’s (STC) Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year and Riley Corner, an Associate of Science in Nursing student, has been named as the College’s winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL).
The announcement of winners was made at Southeastern Tech’s 2022 Rick Perkins and GOAL Awards Ceremony on January 20 in Vidalia’s Tattnall Auditorium by President Larry Calhoun.
The Rick Perkins Award honors faculty who have been nominated by their peers for outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.
STC’s other finalists for instructor of the year were Tony Criswell, Electrical Construction Technology Instructor, and Stephannie Waters, Medical Assisting Instructor.
The GOAL program highlights the importance of technical education and recognizes the outstanding achievements of Georgia’s technical college students and emphasizes the importance of technical education in today’s global workforce. This statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) honors excellence in academics and leadership.
“Being nominated for GOAL is one of the highest honors an STC student can achieve,” said President Larry Calhoun. “To be nominated a student must have completed 12 credit hours, have at least a B average, and be in good standing at our College. Additionally, the student must recognize the impact of technical education on Georgia’s economic health and be willing to serve as an ambassador for technical education.”
GOAL winners are selected at each of the TCSG’s 22 technical colleges. A screening committee of college administrators reviewed nominations and conducted interviews with the students. Four finalists were chosen to give a speech and interview with a panel of local business, civic, and industry leaders for a winner to be chosen.
The other GOAL finalists were Kaitlyn Corner, Associate of Science in Nursing student from Montgomery County, Grayson Griffaw, Dental Hygiene student from Evans County, and Laura Lee, Associate of Science in Nursing student from Emanuel County.
Riley, from Montgomery County, was nominated by her instructor, Donna Jean Braddy. After graduation, Riley plans to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and work as a traveling nurse touring the country.
“I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that our faculty changes lives, one life at a time, and these winners will represent Southeastern Tech well,” said President Calhoun.
To become state winners, college representatives will compete at the regional level in February where three finalists are selected from each of TCSG’s three regions. Nine regional finalists move to the state-level competition in Atlanta in April. The state winners will serve as ambassadors for technical education in Georgia and a voice of technical colleges, making many public appearances throughout the year.
The State GOAL Winner, TCSG’s Student of the Year, receives a grand prize of a new car provided by Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, a statewide corporate sponsor of Georgia’s GOAL program.
For more information on STC, visit www.southeasterntech.edu or call (912) 538-3100 or (478) 289-2200.
Photo: 2022 GOAL Student of the Year Riley Corner, STC President Larry Calhoun, and 2022 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year Keegan Spell