Toccoa Educator Receives Rick Perkins Award From North Georgia Tech

A Toccoa woman and teacher at North Georgia Technical College has been awarded the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction (RPA).

Vanessa Lone of Toccoa received the award last week at the Habersham Rotary meeting.

Lone is a medical assisting instructor and has been employed with the college since 2014.

The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors technical education’s most outstanding instructors by recognizing instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.

One instructor is chosen each year from the 22 colleges in the Technical College System of Georgia.

Lone provides classroom instruction and hands-on training in medical office procedures, medical insurance management, legal aspects of a medical office, administrative practice management, pharmacology, and more.

She also serves as an academic advisor to medical assisting students.

Lone holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Valdosta State University, an associate of applied science degree from South University in Savannah, Ga., and a medical assisting diploma from NGTC.

Additionally, Maria Zavala de Orozco of Cornelia, Ga., was named North Georgia Technical College’s 2024 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner at the Habersham Rotary meeting.

Nominated by her instructor, Dr. Martha Marquardt, Zavala de Orozco is a registered nursing student at the Blairsville campus.

GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), started in 1971 and continues to honor excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students.

GOAL candidates are nominated by an instructor and must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and demonstrate strong work ethics and leadership skills. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges.

Both the GOAL and Rick Perkins Award winners will now advance to represent NGTC at the regional competition, which will be held March 12, 2024.

For more information regarding North Georgia Technical College programs or admission, visit northgatech.edu or call 706-754-7700.