GNTC students place at state PBL competition
Three Georgia Northwestern Technical College students placed in their competitions at the recent Phi Beta Lambda State Competition in Atlanta.
Mark Upton, GNTC Marketing Management program director and PBL coordinator, said the students competed in eight events and finished with three first place finishes, three second place finishes and two third place finishes.
“All three of these students have qualified in all eight events for the PBL National Leadership Conference in Chicago this summer,” he said. “They have already done very well, and we look forward to their competitions this summer.”
The students are listed by their name, GNTC campus and awards.
♦ Will Arrant, Whitfield Murray Campus, second place in Computer Concepts, second place in Retail Management and third place in Cybersecurity.
♦ Misty Hawk, Gordon County Campus, first place in Justice Administration and third place in Marketing Concepts.
♦ Aixa Rodriguez, Floyd County Campus, first place in Small Business Management Plan, first place in Management Concepts and second place in Entrepreneurship Concepts.
Arrant is in the Computer Forensics and Security Specialist certificate program. Hawk is a student in the Criminal Justice Technology associate degree program. Rodriguez is a student in the Marketing Management associate degree program.
“All advisors and instructors of these students should be very proud of their accomplishments,” Upton said. “We have great instructors who deserve credit for these students’ awards as well.”
Competing in these kinds of events adds to students’ learning, networking, people skills and dealing with stress; prospective employers like to see well-rounded students who are prepared for the workforce, he explained, while students find the competitions fun and exciting.
Sometimes students feel anxious about the competition, too, he said.
“I tell students that you need to put yourselves in uncomfortable situations because
that’s what the real world is going to expect of you,” he said.
Trish Wiggins attended as GNTC’s director of Student Engagement, who oversees all student organizations, and presented at the conference, agreed that the students rose to the occasion.
“I am so pleased that our students performed so well at the State Competition,” she said. “It was our first year back in person since 2019, and to have students competing was incredibly exciting.”
Wiggins said she looks forward to seeing GNTC’s students compete nationally in Chicago this summer.
“I believe they will excel in the competition and represent GNTC well,” she said.
The PBL National Leadership Conference will take place June 24-27. For more information on GNTC, visit gntc.edu.