Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has named Ansley Rogers, a student at Armuchee High School, as its 2025 Dual Enrollment Student of the Year.
The award recognizes an outstanding high school senior who has participated in GNTC’s Dual Enrollment program. Rogers received the award and a $1,000 scholarship from the GNTC Foundation on March 13 during GNTC’s annual High School Appreciation Luncheon at GNTC’s Gordon County Campus in Calhoun.
Minimum qualifications for being named GNTC’s Dual Enrollment Student of the Year are being a current high school senior, maintaining a minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA), planning to enroll at GNTC after high school to pursue an accredited program of study and being in good standing with the high school and college.
Additionally, the applicant must demonstrate achievement in one or more of the following areas: community service and citizenship, extra-curricular activities, leadership, overcoming hardship and adversity, and securing gainful employment, especially in a field related to the applicant’s program of study, Dr. Heidi Popham, president of GNTC, explained. Applicants are required to write a short answer essay demonstrating their achievement in any one or more of the award criteria.
Rogers took general education classes that will count toward the general education core classes that are required for her program of study at GNTC, said Kristi Hart, director of High School Initiatives at GNTC. Rogers plans to study Sonography at GNTC.
The five-member Selection Committee consists of a business and industry partner or GNTC Foundation Trustee, a community member at large within GNTC’s nine-county service area, a GNTC Academic Affairs or Student Affairs representative who is not a GNTC faculty member, a GNTC Foundation representative and a secondary partner without a scholarship applicant, Popham said.
GNTC hosts the annual luncheon to show appreciation to the faculty and staff from regional high schools for their contribution to the college’s Dual Enrollment program. Counselors, faculty and administrators from high schools across the northwest Georgia region took part in the luncheon.
As part of the luncheon, a panel of current Dual Enrollment students and graduates shared their experiences in the program.
Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program allows qualified high school students in GNTC’s service area to maximize their education and career training by taking college-level courses that earn college and high school credit at the same time. Degree-level core classes will transfer to any institution in the University System of Georgia (USG) or the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). College credits also count toward high school rigor and HOPE Scholarship rigor requirements.
In Academic Year 2025, nearly 3,500 Dual Enrollment students were enrolled through GNTC, and this year’s enrollment reflects an increase of more than 300 students over the previous year, said Stuart Phillips, vice president of Student Affairs and Student Success at GNTC. Students from more than 37 area secondary schools and home school programs are currently participating in the program.
“Dual Enrollment constitutes 40% of total enrollment at GNTC, and participation in Dual Enrollment increased by 300 students, or 11%, over the previous year,” Phillips said. “During the current academic year, Dual Enrollment students saved $3.6 million in tuition.”