A Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) student is the first male wheelchair athlete ever named to the U.S. Para-Karate Team and will compete in the Para-Karate division of the 2025 Karate World Championships in Cairo in November.
Joel Westbrook, 18, is an online student at GNTC and expects to graduate with his Social Work Assistant associate degree in December. He resides in Rossville.
“Joel is passionate about using his education and life experiences to help others discover their potential,” said Tammy Pence, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth specialist at GNTC. “He truly has a heart for people, and his desire to make a difference is both inspiring and sincere. He’s using his talents in a way that encourages others.”
Pence said she has known Westbrook since he was a child and she feels privileged to watch him grow—personally and professionally—into a “thoughtful, hardworking young man who is mature well beyond his years.”
“When I was 9 years old and watching a TV show called ‘Kickin’ It,’ I saw one of the teachers in a wheelchair and thought to myself, ‘If he can do karate in a wheelchair, so can I,’” Westbrook said. “My mom started looking for a place to take me for lessons and came across Green’s Karate.”
Sensei Corey Green had taught someone with autism, a visually-impaired woman and a boy missing one arm and one leg, but never anyone in a wheelchair, Westbrook explained. Since karate is not a typical wheelchair sport, Green assisted Westbrook to figure out how best to adapt the moves to what he could do.
“Joel has accomplished above and beyond what I could ever dreamed of,” Green said. “Joel’s positive attitude, perseverance, hard work and dedication have made him into the person he is today. His future is extremely bright, and I cannot wait to see how he grows throughout his life journey.”
Westbrook takes lessons at Green’s Karate, a dojo in East Ridge.
“When I heard there were competitions, I was ready to go,” he said. “Going to karate class three times a week but not going to competition felt like asking a baseball player to spend hours hitting and catching but never playing a game.”
Since then, Westbrook has earned 41 gold medals and one trophy from local, regional, national and international competitions, he said. In July he won gold in the Elite Division of the 2025 Karate National Championships; the Elite Division is a path for those aspiring to represent the U.S. in international competitions.
He said he is nervous but excited about the level of competition he will face in Egypt. He knows some USA Karate Team members and hopes to have some training time with those who represented the USA in the Olympics in 2022.
“Just because you have a physical disability doesn’t mean you have to sit at home in front of the TV playing video games,” he said. “I want others to know they can still do things. Maybe it’s not karate for everyone. There are opportunities like bike riding, skiing, kayaking, rock climbing, baseball and basketball. Karate wasn’t an opportunity for me until I wanted to try it.”
Westbrook has also participated in adaptive baseball locally and adaptive snow skiing in Utah. His maximum deadlift is 410 pounds; he goes to the gym four or five times a week in addition to karate. He looks forward to water skiing for the first time.
Westbrook’s journey has made him sympathetic to others, which led him to study Social Work. He wants to continue his education after graduation from GNTC and plans to work in a hospital.
“I had a lot of surgeries growing up, and while at the hospital, the child life specialists made me feel less nervous about the whole situation,” he said. “I would love to help those in similar situations feel more comfortable in the hospital setting.”
Westbrook volunteered at an area hospital in summer 2024 and completed an internship earlier this year at the Downtown Family YMCA in Chattanooga. He worked with the adaptive programs and was awarded Volunteer of the Year for his work with Miracle League of Chattanooga, an adaptive baseball program for people of all ages and disabilities.
This fall Westbrook will complete his remaining internship hours with an elementary school counselor, he said.
Westbrook chose GNTC because the college is close to his house and offered Dual Enrollment, he said. He graduated from high school last October and has utilized services offered at GNTC.
GNTC’s ITA (Individual Training Account) program is helping him keep on track and navigate registering for classes, he explained. The program, offered through GNTC’s Youth Success Academy, also assists with his educational costs.
“Accountability is another big part of ITA,” Westbrook said. “I sometimes like to focus on things other than school, but having to turn in a timesheet every week keeps me on track.”
Following emergency brain surgery in November 2024, he had double vision. He reached out to GNTC’s Accessibility Services, who made sure he had accommodations that would help.
Pence said “Joel is living proof that with determination, heart and purpose, you really can achieve great things.”
“I don’t like barriers in my way, and I don’t worry about what everyone else is or has done,” Westbrook said. “I just do what I want and have been blessed to be surrounded by people who help make it happen.”
GNTC’s ITA program not only provides leadership and job readiness training, but also covers eligible expenses for qualifying first-time college students, including tuition not covered by the HOPE program, transportation to attend college, child care, books and supplies. The student must be between ages 18-24, and the program major must be in an approved demand occupation.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma or a certificate in aviation, business, health, industrial or public service career paths. This past year, 13,775 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. GNTC has an annual credit enrollment of 8,836 students and an additional enrollment of 4,939 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start.