West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) has named Grace Crews, a Medical Laboratory Technology student from Bremen, Georgia, as its 2025 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner.

The announcement was made on November 14 at WGTC’s GOAL and Rick Perkins Award (RPA) Banquet, an annual event that celebrates the finalists for both awards.

GOAL, first launched in 1971, is a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) that honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges.

Crews, nominated by Medical Laboratory Technology Program Chair and Dean of Health Sciences Dr. Phyllis Ingham, was chosen by a panel of local leaders over three other finalists for the award. The other finalists were Dulce Chavez, a Radiologic Technology student; Jocelyn Suarez-Uritson, an Early Childhood Care and Education student; and Hanine Abed El-Samad, a Dental Hygiene student.

“Grace’s resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to her chosen profession make her an outstanding ambassador for technical education,” said Ingham. “She will undoubtedly make a profound impact as a future healthcare professional, and I am confident that she will continue to inspire those around her with her passion and commitment to excellence.”

Crews will represent WGTC at the regional competition on February 26 at Central Georgia Technical College in Warner Robbins. The 9 regional finalists, 3 finalists from each region, will be announced at the 2025 State GOAL and Rick Perkins Award Conference in April, and if selected, Crews will participate in the state competition at the conference. A panel of leaders from the business, industry, and government sectors will interview the finalists and choose one to be the 2025 State GOAL Winner, TCSG’s Student of the Year, and the recipient of the GOAL medallion and a brand-new car courtesy of KIA, the statewide corporate sponsor of the GOAL program.

West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers more than 120 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is one of the largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit www.westgatech.edu.