North Georgia Scholarship Winner Makes Name Nationally

GNTC Foundation Honoree Among 29 From Northwest Georgia

  • Thursday, August 28, 2014
Georgia Northwestern Director of College Development Jason Gamel, far right, helps encourage donations to the GNTC Foundation throughout the year. The Grainger Foundation is a previous donor who has helped make the financial burden of college a little easier for students headed to Georgia Northwestern. Last year, the Grainger Foundation donated $10,000 to help with the expense of education at Georgia Northwestern. Pictured, from left, are Vann Brown, GNTC board member; Karen Butler, account manager at Grainger; Jay Still, branch manager at Grainger, and Mr. Gamel.”
Georgia Northwestern Director of College Development Jason Gamel, far right, helps encourage donations to the GNTC Foundation throughout the year. The Grainger Foundation is a previous donor who has helped make the financial burden of college a little easier for students headed to Georgia Northwestern. Last year, the Grainger Foundation donated $10,000 to help with the expense of education at Georgia Northwestern. Pictured, from left, are Vann Brown, GNTC board member; Karen Butler, account manager at Grainger; Jay Still, branch manager at Grainger, and Mr. Gamel.”

The 2014 class of Georgia Northwestern Technical College Foundation scholarship recipients are off and underway this fall. GNTC’s foundation awarded scholarships to students at 29 high schools in the college’s nine-county service area this past spring. 

A 2013 recipient made waves on the national stage in his first year in college, thanks in part to his gift from the GNTC Foundation. Jonathan Hammond, a 19-year-old from Chatsworth, is on his way to being one of the region’s top computer support specialists.

In his freshman year on the Whitfield Murray Campus of Georgia Northwestern, Mr. Hammond was named to the Phi Beta Lambda professional skills competition team. As a result of capturing first place in the Help Desk category on the state level in Atlanta this past spring, Mr. Hammond earned a spot in the National PBL Competition this past June. When the competition had closed, Mr. Hammond would place ninth in the nation in his computer specialty category.

It was just one year before he stood in the national spotlight that the Georgia Northwestern Foundation helped make that happen. In 2013, Mr. Hammond was one of 26 high school seniors to receive cash scholarships of $250 each to help handle the costs of a collegiate education.

“I believe I was selected for the scholarship. I didn’t know I was getting it at all,” said Mr. Hammond. “Throughout high school, I would get invited to awards night each year. My senior year, I got that invite again. But, it was a different deal. When a representative from Georgia Northwestern got up and announced that I had won, that was a big shock.”

That representative, who has also awarded dozens of similar scholarships over the years, was GNTC’s Director of Institutional Advancement Jason Gamel. “We try to encourage private contributions in order to build and maintain outstanding academic and support programs at the college,” said Mr. Gamel. “Donations to the Foundation support areas of institutional need including scholarships to deserving students, equipment purchases, materials for the library, and staff development.” Mr. Gamel, GNTC staff, and GNTC Foundation Board of Directors have helped make these presentations across the region each spring.

The GNTC Foundation first began serving the people of Northwest Georgia and the Tennessee Valley in 1988. Mr. Hammond is in GNTC’s Computer Support Specialist program under the advisement of Ron Vick.  Mr. Hammond plans to graduate in 2015. For more information on the GNTC Foundation, contact Mr. Gamel at 706.764-3810 or by e-mail at jgamel@gntc.edu

Approximately 16,000 people benefit from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs, making it the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fifth largest technical college in Georgia. Georgia Northwestern offers classes on-campus or online throughout the year. GNTC serves Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties in Georgia with campuses located in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. 
Latest Headlines
Student Scene
GPS Seniors Inducted Into Cum Laude Society
GPS Seniors Inducted Into Cum Laude Society
  • 3/14/2024

As we near the end of the 2023-24 school year, we recognize and install our newest members into Cum Laude Society. Seventeen seniors, each of whom has flourished throughout her years at GPS, ... more

ACE Mentorship Program Of Greater Chattanooga Hosts Annual Awards Banquet
ACE Mentorship Program Of Greater Chattanooga Hosts Annual Awards Banquet
  • 3/13/2024

The ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) Mentorship Program of Greater Chattanooga celebrated the creativity and dedication of high school students at its much-anticipated annual ... more

GNTC Names First Dual Enrollment Student Of The Year
GNTC Names First Dual Enrollment Student Of The Year
  • 3/13/2024

Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has named Wyatt Key as its first Dual Enrollment Student of the Year. Key, who attends classes at GNTC while a student at Sonoraville High School, ... more