Madison Garcia, a Surgical Technology student on the Valdosta Campus, has been named the 2024 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. GOAL honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students and is a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges and one Board of Regents college with a technical education division.
Katrina Bohanon, Surgical Technology Program Coordinator, nominated Madison for this honor. “The reason I nominated Madison for the GOAL award was her work ethic. Madison is always early for class or clinical and stays late when she can. She is a military wife who is involved with the Military Spouses at Moody AFB as well as being a mother to 2 small children. Every clinical site I send her to, they request that I send her back. She is focused and very organized and will help out anywhere she is needed and never speaks a discouraging or negative word about it. I felt that she is truly a leader.”
Garcia shared, “I am extremely honored and excited to have been chosen as the GOAL winner for Wiregrass. I am looking forward to a great year of representing Wiregrass, TCSG, and the entire state of Georgia.” After she and her family were stationed at Moody AFB, she knew coming back to the States she would be able to start her career. The small classes and tons of hands-on training were some of the reasons she chose Wiregrass Tech. She also knew with the national certification she would receive in Surgical Tech that she would be able to live anywhere and work if the military moved them again. She will be graduating in May and is enjoying her clinical rounds. Even though Surgical Techs rarely see patients while they are awake, she feels they serve as a vital part of one’s recovery and healing.
Garcia competed against other nominees from Wiregrass’ four campuses in Valdosta, Douglas, Fitzgerald, and Sparks before being named as one of the top four nominees and college winners. The runners-up were: Ashontee Clark, Cybersecurity from the Coffee Campus; Mia Muscarella, Dental Assisting from the Valdosta Campus; and Payton Vaughn Advanced Patient Care, Nursing from the Ben Hill-Irwin Campus.
The panel of judges were Sam Allen, SGMC Health Hospital Authority Board Chairman; Ryan Degner, Wiregrass Welding Graduate and the 2022 Wiregrass and TCSG State GOAL Winner, Kristy Henderson, Director for CTAE and Dual Enrollment for Fitzgerald High School College and Career Academy; Niki Ogletree, Senior Project Manager, Valdosta- Lowndes County Development Authority; and April McDuffie, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Garcia will now advance to the regional competition in February. In April, she will learn if she is one of the nine state finalists at the State GOAL Awards ceremony in Atlanta. A panel of business, industry, and government leaders will interview the finalists and choose one to be the 2024 State GOAL winner and recipient of the GOAL medallion. The grand prize includes a new car, courtesy of KIA, the statewide corporate sponsor of the GOAL program.
For more information about the Surgical Technology program and other programs visit wiregrass.edu. The college is accepting new students for Spring Semester, classes start January 8, 2024.