Laura James, a Forsyth Campus student at Lanier Technical College from Dawson County, has been named as the Lanier Technical College winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL). She is a student in the Horticulture Technology program at the Forsyth Campus and was nominated for GOAL by her instructor, Gary Love.

The announcement of the winner was made by Dr. Linda Barrow, Vice President of Academic Affairs, at the Lanier Technical College GOAL Recognition Ceremony on January 31 at the Lecture Hall. Mike Hall, the Gainesville Lions Club President, and John Roslak, a Lions Club member and GOAL judge, awarded the winner with a check for $500 and also awarded the runners-up with $100 each. The Lanier Technical College Student Government Association awarded the winner with a plaque and $450 and awarded the runners-up with a plaque and $100.

James was chosen by a panel of judges over three other semi-finalists for the award.  The runners-up were: Kelsey Alsup of Cumming, a Dental Assisting Technology student at the Oakwood Campus; Valerie Dowdy of Monroe, a Medical Assisting Technology student at the Winder– Barrow Campus ; Yuliana Yebra of Gainesville, a Business Administrative Technology student at the Oakwood Campus.

GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state technical college students.  Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the 25 technical colleges in Georgia as well as the one Board of Regents College with a technical education division.  

James will now proceed to Regional Judging in February. GOAL winners from each technical college in Georgia will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta for two days in April.  Nine regional finalists, three finalists from the three regions, will be announced in Atlanta on April 24th, 2013.  A panel of leaders from the business, industry and government sectors will interview them and choose one to be the 2013 state GOAL winner and the recipient of the GOAL medallion.  

The grand prize also includes a new car, courtesy of Chevrolet, the statewide corporate sponsor of the GOAL program.

James said, “I think of continuing technical education as contagious and am glad that I was lucky enough to catch the bug from my son and pass it on to my daughter”.

Laura James is the wife of Nelson James of Dawsonville.  She chose to attend Lanier Tech to earn her degree to help her develop cutting edge horticulture and management skills in her family landscaping company in the Dawson and Lumpkin County areas.

For more information about Lanier Technical College and the programs of study, please visit the college’s website at www.laniertech.edu or call Lanier Technical College at 770-531-6300.