South Georgia Technical College Automotive Technology students David Battle, Jr., and Jose T. Aguilar, both of Americus and Auto Collision and Repair students Traylor Blocker of Blakely and Brandon Ross of Macon were presented with Georgia Automotive Dealers Association (GADA) scholarships recently by the South Georgia Technical College Foundation. SGTC President Dr. John Watford and SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the SGTC Foundation Su Ann Bird made the presentation.
Jose T. Aguilar and David Battle chose to attend South Georgia Technical College because they like working with their hands and because of their love of cars. They had learned about South Georgia Tech while attending Sumter County High School. The two Automotive Technology students were both recommended for the scholarship by instructor Brandon Dean.
Traylor Blocker and Brandon Ross chose to come to South Georgia Technical College and live on campus while learning about the Auto Collision and Repair technology field. They were recommended for the scholarship by their instructor Starlyn Sampson.
The Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA) presented the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation with scholarship funds for automotive and automotive collision and repair students attending TCSG colleges across the state. The scholarships are designed to promote careers in the automotive industry in Georgia.
“On behalf of the South Georgia Technical College Foundation, it is our pleasure to present each of you with GADA scholarships,” said SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Foundation Executive Director Su Ann Bird.
SGTC President Dr. John Watford thanked Blocker, Ross, Battle and Aguilar for selecting South Georgia Tech and the Automotive Technology and Auto Collision and Repair Programs to continue their education and on their scholarship award. “We appreciate you for selecting South Georgia Technical College. Congratulations on earning this scholarship and we look forward to seeing what each of you have planned after you complete your respective programs.”
Both Traylor Blocker and Brandon Ross credited the great reputation of the Auto Collision and Repair program for their decision to come to South Georgia Technical College. “My uncle is friends with Mr. Starlyn Sampson and he told me about the great program here and encouraged me to come to South Georgia Tech to learn more about this career opportunity,” said Traylon Blocker, who hopes to gain some experience after graduation and then eventually open his own shop.
Brandon Ross wanted to learn how to paint cars and once he found out about the great program and the opportunity for on-campus housing, he enrolled at South Georgia Technical College. “I had already been to a traditional college, but I felt like this would be a better career choice for me, so I switched. Mr. Sampson is a great instructor and I enjoy my classes as well as being able to live on-campus and attend the basketball games and other activities.”
Both David Battle, Jr. and Jose T. Aguilar knew about South Georgia Technical College because of living in Sumter County. They selected the Automotive Technology program because they liked cars and wanted to work with their hands.
“Mr. Brandon Dean always has something for us to do and has a good mixture of classroom and lab work and I like that,” said David Battle, Jr., whose mom (Rasheena Henry) is a graduate of the SGTC Culinary Arts program. “Both my mom and my dad, (David Battle, Sr.) were excited that I decided to come to college at South Georgia Tech.”
Jose Aguilar actually attended SGTC as part of the dual enrollment program with Sumter County High School. However, he took culinary arts classes while in high school. “Once I graduated from high school, I wanted to see what else SGTC had to offer. I really like cars and fixing problems so I decided to try Automotive Technology. Mr. Dean is a great instructor and I like working with my hands.”
His mother Martha Aguilar encouraged her son to continue his education after high school and was also pleased that he chose South Georgia Tech, which has a 99% job place rating for graduates and over 200 programs of study.
South Georgia Technical College is currently accepting applications for the Spring Semester C-term, which begins March 13th. Students receive full credit for eight weeks of classes. It is not too late to apply. Financial aid is available. Students can apply online at www.southgatech.edu. For information about attending South Georgia Technical College contact Candie Waters at cwalters@southgatech.edu in Americus or Katrice Taylor Martin at ktaylor@southgatech.edu in Cordele.
For more information about the SGTC Automotive Technology Program, contact instructor Brandon Dean at bdean@southgatech.edu or 229-931-4625 and to learn more about the Auto Collision and Repair program contact Starlyn Sampson at ssampson@southgatech.edu or 229-931-2580.