Markita Battle, a Culinary Arts student at Augusta Technical College, has been named as the college’s winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership.

The announcement was made at the college’s 2016 GOAL Award Luncheon sponsored by the Optimist Club of Augusta on Monday, November 30, 2015, at Augusta Technical College.

Battle was chosen by a panel of local leaders from The Optimist Club of Augusta and the Augusta Technical College Foundation Board over two other nominees for the award.  The runners-up were Ms. Niki Black, a Practical Nursing student, and Mr. Jerry Justice, an Occupational Therapy Assistant student.

GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges as well as one Board of Regents college with a technical education division.

The announcement of Battle as the Augusta Technical College GOAL winner was made by President Terry Elam.

Battle will now proceed to regional judging.  All college winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta in April.  Nine regional finalists, three finalists from each of the three regions, will be announced in Atlanta on April 20, 2016.  A panel of leaders from the business, industry, and government sectors will interview them and choose one to be the 2016 state GOAL winner and the recipient of the GOAL medallion.  The grand prize also includes a new car.

“I am very thankful for the education I am receiving at Augusta Tech and am excited for the opportunity to represent my college in regional and state competitions” stated Battle.

Battle is the wife of Ricky E. Battle, Jr. of Thomson, GA.  She chose to attend Augusta Technical College to earn her degree and pursue a career as a Chef/Proprietor of a catering company.