Georgia Northwestern Technical College has announced its top student and instructor honors for 2026, naming Noelia Sargento, a Business Management student from Rossville, as its Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner, and Trevor Roberts, clinical coordinator of Ultrasound Programs and instructor of Adult Echocardiography, as the college’s Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College faculty and staff have nominated six instructors for the 2026 Rick Perkins Award of Excellence in Technical Instruction, honoring the Technical College System of Georgia’s top educators for innovation and leadership.
In Chattooga County and across rural Northwest Georgia, the conversation about life after high school is changing — not because college suddenly got easier, but because more families are weighing the rising cost of a traditional four-year degree against the practical need for training that leads directly to a paycheck.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program has added another aircraft for student training, thanks to a donation of a Cessna 401A from a private individual in Dalton.
Program director Zac Fager says it’s the fourth 400-series Cessna now owned by GNTC and will be used in all areas of hands-on instruction. The aircraft had been stored in a hangar at Dalton Municipal Airport before being moved to GNTC’s Aviation Training Center, where it was reassembled.
GNTC President Dr. Heidi Popham says the gift will help train the skilled professionals the aviation industry needs.
Fager says the timing is critical, because students are constantly disassembling, inspecting, and repairing aircraft components—and having additional aircraft helps ensure graduates gain the Airframe and Powerplant experience needed to be workforce-ready.
Students will be returning to Georgia Northwestern Technical College for the spring semester, one week from today on January 12, 2026. Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) continues to be a major resource for residents across Northwest Georgia by providing career-focused education, adult learning opportunities, and workforce training designed to help people move into better jobs and meet the needs of local employers.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) is encouraging prospective students across Northwest Georgia to take the first step toward a new career by applying free of charge during the month of December.
