Americus Rotary Club presents South Georgia Tech’s 2022 outstanding student with stipend

February 4, 2022
Americus Rotary Club member and Past President Don Smith (l) is shown above presenting a check from the Rotary Club to Culinary Arts student Zakyah Cameron (r), who was selected as the SGTC 2022 GOAL student of the year.
Americus Rotary Club member and Past President Don Smith (l) is shown above presenting a check from the Rotary Club to Culinary Arts student Zakyah Cameron (r), who was selected as the SGTC 2022 GOAL student of the year.

     Americus Rotary Club member and Past President Don Smith presented South Georgia Technical College culinary arts student Zakyah Cameron of Bonaire, GA, with a stipend recently on behalf of the Americus Rotary Club.  Cameron was recognized as the college’s 2022 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner by SGTC President Dr. John Watford at the college’s GOAL luncheon recently.  

    “It is my honor to make this presentation on behalf of the Americus Rotary Club and President Kenny Phillips,” said Don Smith, who retired from South Georgia Tech as the Assistant to the President.  “There are three things that I have been involved in my career that I am especially proud of and today I get to be a part of all three – South Georgia Technical College, GOAL, and Rotary.  Rotary and GOAL are both proponents of leadership development and that is also what South Georgia Tech does in addition to workforce development education.  I wish you the best in the regional and state competition on behalf of the Rotary Club of Americus,” said Smith as he presented a check to Cameron.

   The Americus Rotary Club and the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce have been premier sponsors of the South Georgia Technical College Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) program for many years.  “We are appreciative of both organizations for their sponsorship of this event and for their support of our students,” said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford.  “This Americus Rotary Club stipend is a wonderful way to honor our top student, but it also means a great deal to the college and this community.”

   Cameron was selected for this honor by a panel of local community leaders.  An internal committee interviewed all of the college nominees and narrowed the selection to four GOAL finalists. Cameron was selected to represent the culinary arts department and he was competing against finalists Gerode Prather, Motorsports Technology; Kimberly Sadecky, Criminal Justice; and Symone Stevens, Culinary Arts.    Culinary Arts instructor Chef “Ricky” Ludwig Watzlowick nominated Cameron for this honor.  Zakyah Cameron will now represent South Georgia Technical College at regional and state competitions in an effort to be selected as the top student within the Technical College System of Georgia.