WGTC Recognizes Student and Teacher of the Year

Karen Freeman

West Georgia Technical College has announced its Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership winner – Dale Bowers, a Registered Nursing student from Moreland – and its Rick Perkins Award winner – Early Childhood Care and Education instructor Karen Freeman of LaGrange. 

The announcement was made March 10 at a reception to honor student and faculty nominees for their respective awards.

Dale Bowers

“We congratulate both Dale and Karen on their victories in local competition,” President Dr. Skip Sullivan said. “I know they will both represent West Georgia Technical College well as they compete for their respective state awards.” 

GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 26 technical colleges as well as the four Board of Regents colleges with technical education divisions.

As West Georgia Tech’s GOAL winner, Bowers will represent the College March 23 at Heart of Georgia Technical College in Dublin, competing against winners from the other eight Technical College System of Georgia colleges in the Central Region. Three students from that competition will compete in the state competition.

Student winners – like Bowers – prepare for a three-minute speech and a 12-minute interview by a team of judges.

Bowers is studying for the Associate Degree in Nursing, which will prepare her to become certified as a Registered Nurse. She serves as the class president for the 2011 class of ADN students.

RPA winner Freeman was one of seven instructor nominees from across the College to compete before a panel of local leaders. She serves as instructor and program chair of Early Childhood Care and Education.

Freeman also will continue competition in Dublin against winners from the other eight regional colleges. Two of those will go to the state competition.

Freeman has held her current position with West Georgia Tech since 2006. Prior to that, she taught at the elementary level in both the Meriwether County and Troup County school systems. Freeman holds a Master of Education degree in Early Childhood Education from LaGrange College.

West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson and Troup counties and additional class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers over 110 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is the second largest of the state’s 26 technical colleges and one of the fastest-growing two-year colleges in the nation.