Georgia Northwestern Technical College students competed in professional skill categories at the state Phi Beta Lambda State Conference in Atlanta, April 8-9. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are Amanda Teeters, Geovani Rameriz, Sprite Dyer, Dakota Lovain, Stephen Yang, Kayla King, Dione Waddington (Advisor), and Patty Hart (Advisor). In the second row are Rhys Turner (Advisor), Justin Gray, Carter Gravitt, Avery Baker, Caleb Golson, and Jessica McGill. In the back row are Mark Upton (Advisor), Janice Fowler, Elisabeth Harp, Jalen Hamilton, James Gibson, Jason Moore, Cody Godwin, and Andrew Johnson.
Chickamauga’s Andrew Johnson will lead a team of six from Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) into national competition June 24-27 in Atlanta. The students qualified for the honor after placing on the state level in Georgia’s Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) professional skills competition April 8-9.
All entries which placed first or second in the state in performance events, as well as all entries which placed first, second, or third in written events, have qualified for competition at the PBL National Conference this summer.
The national event will also be held in Atlanta.
Mr. Johnson was the only student from the college to receive top honors on the state level. The sophomore Bobcat took home first place in Contemporary Sports Issues. “I actually qualified for nationals my freshman year, but I was not able to go,” said the Gordon Lee High School alum. “I’m really excited to be heading there this time around. I love competition of any kind. When my advisor came to me with the opportunity to compete against others with the same interests, I took it.”
Also qualifying for the national competition in June are Calhoun's Elisabeth Harp (Computer Concepts), Rome’s Cody Godwin and Kingston, Georgia’s Jason Moore (Social Media Campaign), and Tunnel Hill’s Kayla King and Cartersville’s Jessica McGill (Marketing Analysis and Decision Making).
Also competing in last weekend’s state PBL competition from Georgia Northwestern were Dalton’s Avery Baker; LaFayette’s Sprite Dyer; Tunnel Hill's Janice Fowler; Chickamauga’s James Gibson; Harrison’s Caleb Golson; Flintstone’s Carter Gravitt; LaFayette’s Justin Gray; Rome's Jalen Hamilton; Dalton’s Dakota Lovain, Geovani Rameriz and Amanda Teeters; and Trion’s Stephen Yang.
“We are really proud of this group and the work they did in Atlanta,” said GNTC PBL Advisor Dione Waddington. “We’ve performed well at this competition in the past. This year was no exception. We hope to do well on the national level in June.” Just two years ago, Dalton, Georgia’s Mario Trejo took home the nation’s top spot in the Justice Administration category.
PBL, along with the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), is the largest and oldest student business organization in the nation. The annual event allows students to sharpen their business skills, expand their networks, and participate in more than 55 business and business-related competitive events.
For more information on PBL at Georgia Northwestern or anything related to the college, call 866.983.4682 (GNTC).