@WorkGwinnett Staff

First, Kenya. Now, a GTC nursing student.

A journey to Kenya three years ago charted the course for Amber Pekelder’s career. Traveling as part of a mission team to Peru, Jamaica and Kenya inspired her to become a nurse. “The need for healthcare is so great,” she says, that her experiences motivate her still today.

Amber is a first year nursing student who will graduate in May 2013. She appreciates the fact that her instructors are passionate about training the nursing students to be prepared. “We participate in simulations in the Life Sciences Center clinical suites – and then we repeat,” she explains. That repetition, Amber feels, is vital to get her ready for real clinical settings. Her first clinical rotation was at Eastside Medical Center and she will return there for her second rotation.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Office of Veterans Affairs Helps Ease Transition For Vets

Gwinntt Tech cares about its veterans. That fact couldn’t be more apparent than inside the school’s Office of Veterans Affairs.

Every day the office’s friendly staff helps advise student veterans on a range of issues, from which classes to take to navigating the often complicated application process for GI Bill benefits.

“Because we have a dedicated office of veterans affairs we have staff and resources that are solely focused on assisting our veterans in transitioning from military life to civilian life,” says veterans affairs advisor Lorri Chin-Shue.

The office is also equipped with a computer lab where veterans can do homework, check email and network with other students who share their military background.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Gwinnett Tech Celebrates Commencement

TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson

Commissioner Ron Jackson of the Technical College System of Georgia offered the 2012 graduates of Gwinnett Technical College a clear directive, “Choose to become a person of influence.”

Speaking at Monday night’s commencement ceremony at the Gwinnett Arena, Jackson also advised graduates to “always show gratitude, return generosity and offer thanks. Never forget those who help you along the way.”

Over 600 graduates crossed the stage to receive congratulations from Jackson and Gwinnett Tech President Sharon Bartels. The college projects that it will ultimately confer more than 3,200 awards to over 1,200 individual graduates when all grades and graduation applications are finalized.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Earn College Credit While in High School

Ready to fast track your college education? How about earning college credit for the courses you are taking in high school? Gwinnett Tech’s dual credit program is a fast, affordable way to start college – while you’re still in high school.

The program provides exceptional opportunities for Georgia high school juniors and seniors to take college level courses at Gwinnett Tech and earn credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree at the same time.

Dual enrollment is a collaborative effort between the Technical College System of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) and the HOPE Program. The program enables high school students to take one or more courses from Gwinnett Tech using a number of financial aid options including the HOPE Grant or HOPE Scholarship. Under dual enrollment, students receive simultaneous course credits that count toward high school graduation and future postsecondary education.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Vet Tech Students Volunteer At Gwinnett Animal Shelter

Gwinnett Tech Veterinary Technology students are helping dogs at the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter find  good homes.

Using skills they learned at GTC, the students are assisting with spay and neuter surgeries, making the animals more likely to be adopted.

Vet Tech instructor Ryan Cheek says the volunteer work benefits not only the dogs but also the students, who’ve spent long hours in the classroom training for the valuable hands-on experience.

“Everything they’re doing here we’ve spent the last six to eight weeks learning about,” says  Cheek. “It’s applying what we’ve learned in class to a real-world situation.”

Cheek says helping out at the shelter will prepare students for the work they’ll do once they enter the work force. Now vet techs in training, the students will one day assist doctors of veterinary medicine who perform spay and neuter surgeries every day.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

GTC Students Receive Awards and Scholarships at 2012 Ceremony

Gwinnett Tech’s 2012 Awards Ceremony marks the end of another year of success for GTC students. Family and friends filled the Gwinnett Center Performing Arts Theater to watch their loved ones receive awards and scholarships in honor of their outstanding achievements.

“It’s a night where our students are able to be recognized for their hard work [and] enthusiasm and get to share it with their family and friends,” says Gwinnett Tech Foundation Executive Director Mary Beth Byerly.

Throughout the course of the evening nearly $200,000 in scholarship funds were awarded through the Gwinnett Tech Foundation with the support of local business leaders like Clyde and Sandra Strickland and Matthew Holtkamp.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

More Core College Courses Will Now Transfer from Technical Colleges

At a time when college costs and completion rates dominate the news, students who begin their college path at one of Georgia’s technical colleges, like Gwinnett Tech, have reason to celebrate.

The state Board of Regents just approved 17 more general education courses that will transfer from Gwinnett Tech and other technical colleges to any University System of Georgia (USG) institution, increasing the total number of core courses that are approved to transfer to 27. The increased number of courses makes it easier for Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) students to pursue baccalaureate degree opportunities at USG institutions.

“The Board of Regents’ action is great news for Georgia students and moves us ever closer to the goal of seamless education — where students can move easily between the TCSG and USG.  This makes a college education more accessible to more students and provides additional options,” explains Gwinnett Tech President Sharon Bartels.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Interiors Students Enjoy “Living Learning Lab”

Gwinnett Tech’s interiors department has everything needed to give the home makeover pros on HGTV a run for their money. Students in the program are able to put their hands on the latest in home decor, kitchen and bathroom materials and more, thanks to what program director Susan Arnold calls their “living learning lab”.

“They can utilize all the products that are currently available to interior designers and kitchen and bath designers and we call it a living learning lab because every space is so fully utilized,” Arnold says.

Situated in a quant brick house on the edge of GTC campus, the lab boats a full kitchen complete with high-end appliances by Sub-Zero/Wolf along with a stunning array of fine wooden cabinetry. Crates of carpet, paint and tile samples line the upstairs walls and even the bathrooms are decked out with designer flooring, wallpaper and fixtures.

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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Need to Go Green?

If you’re ready to go green to advance your career, look no farther than Gwinnett Tech.
GTC is quickly becoming a leader in green education, and was recently awarded the county’s first Green Reach Award for the development and delivery of multiple sustainable/green programs of study. Our courses include training for the in-demand LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation and the state’s only Building Operator Certification® program, a nationally recognized certification program for building operators to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.

Our current offerings include:
•    Building Operator Certification (Level 1 and 2)
•    Electrical Safety – NFPA 70E (Arc Flash Prevention)
•    Erosion Control Certification (Level 1A)
•    Erosion Control Recertification (Level 1A)
•    IGSHPA Ground Source Heat Pump Accredited Installer Training
•    IGSHPA Vertical Loop Installer Certification
•    LEED Fundamentals
•    LEED Green Associate Exam Prep

 
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@WorkGwinnett Staff

Train for a Green Career

You may not be Martha Stewart, but you feel like you have a knack for growing and taking care plants? Seek out a degree in Environmental Horticulture at Gwinnett Tech.

Whatever your interests are in the growing green industry, Gwinnett Tech can help you flourish in a career of your choice in two years or less.

GTC’s Environmental Horticulture program prepares you for a career in landscape design, installation, and management as well as greenhouse and nursery production, golf course management, floriculture, and interiorscaping. This program provides the core courses and horticulture theory foundation needed, as well as the essential hands-on experience to gain employment. On campus, Gwinnett Tech houses its own greenhouse where students tend to a variety plants that will be sold in the college’s seasonal plant sales.

 
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