PHOTO ABOVE (courtesy of the Cobb Chamber): Chattahoochee Tech student Darion Knight receives the college’s GOAL award

The Cobb Chamber submitted the following announcement for the finalists and winner of Chattahoochee Technical College‘s Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL).

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Chattahoochee Technical College, in partnership with the Cobb Chamber and SelectCobb, announced the finalists and winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) at a special ceremony. These individuals represent the high caliber of students who attend Chattahoochee Technical College and will advance to the state level of the GOAL competition. Congratulations to the 2025 GOAL winner Darion Knight, a Chattahoochee Tech Physical Therapist Assistant student. The top student finalists for the 2025 GOAL award at Chattahoochee Tech included Adelina Guevara, a Surgical Technology student, and Stefanie Hawkins, a Business Technology student.

The GOAL program was initiated in 1971 to recognize academic success and personal achievement performed by Georgia’s technical students and is a statewide initiative sponsored by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. Three finalists are chosen from each technical college in Georgia, and one is selected as the winner to compete at the state level. The Cobb Chamber has been a proud supporter of GOAL since 1984. Each finalist and winner receive a scholarship.

The three scholarship recipients were chosen after a series of recommendations and interviews. Of these three finalists, Darion Knight will advance to a regional competition in which he will compete against top students from Georgia’s technical colleges. The winner of the state competition receives a new car and serves as the state ambassador of technical education.

Thank you to our sponsors for making these scholarships possible: Geo-Hydro Engineers, Lockheed Martin, Cobb and Douglas Public Health, Wasserman Creative, North Georgia Staffing, and Cobb EMC.

For more information about the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) and sponsorships, contact Twana Roots at troots@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2374.

END OF SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE

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About the Cobb Chamber

The Cobb Chamber, incorporated as the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, is the largest business organization in the county.

Sharon Mason is the Cobb Chamber’s president and CEO, Dana Johnson is its Chief Operating Officer, and Mike Plant of the Atlanta Braves organization is its chairman of the board of directors.

The Cobb Chamber’s projects include Cobb Executive Women, Cobb Young Professionals, and the Area Councils: Cumberland, East Cobb, Marietta, Northwest Cobb (Acworth, Kennesaw, West Cobb), Smyrna, and South Cobb.

On its website, the Cobb Chamber promotes itself as follows:

As one of the most influential business advocacy organizations in Georgia and one of the top three chambers in the nation, the Cobb Chamber is dedicated to bringing the community and its leaders together to create jobs and strengthen the economy and quality of life so businesses and the community can achieve more.

Who We Are: We are a community of businesses working together to advance a vibrant economy.

Why We Do It: When businesses thrive, communities flourish.

What We Do (Our Mission): Together, with diverse partnerships, we:

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• Attract, recruit and retain jobs.
  
• Help companies start, grow and prosper.
  
• Advocate and collaborate to enhance our state’s business climate.
  
• Connect members to opportunities, new networks, and resources.
  
• Develop workforce and support education.
  
• Cultivate current and future leaders.