Media release from Georgia Northwestern Technical College:
Approximately 200 Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students crossed the stage of the Forum River Center in Rome on Thursday, April 24, to the cheers of their families, friends and instructors.
After students, administrators and faculty marched into place during Processional, Invocation was led by Donny Holmes, program director and instructor of Construction Management at GNTC. Dr. Heidi Popham, president of GNTC, began the evening’s proceedings by welcoming everyone and congratulating the graduates.
“Some of you had an easy journey; some of you met struggles every semester,” Dr. Popham said. “No matter the route you took or the challenges you faced, each of you sits here tonight having surpassed each of those obstacles that threatened to get in the way of your success. You have reached this milestone, and your future is extremely bright.”
Stuart Phillips, vice president of Student Affairs and Student Success at GNTC, introduced commencement address speaker Robert Branum, GNTC’s 2025 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner.
Branum attends GNTC’s Catoosa County Campus in Ringgold. He previously attended GNTC in the 1990s and then pursued a career in Culinary Arts for nearly 20 years.
“At 40 years old, I found myself at a crossroads in life, not by choice but by necessity,” Branum said. He had started out as a line cook, eventually owned his own catering company and became an executive chef; that successful career ended abruptly after an accident left him disabled.
“I dealt with depression,” Branum said. “I dealt with isolation, and I felt I was failing as a father, a husband and a man. At the age of 46, I found myself in a very dark moment. I had to decide if was I going to let my disability define me, or was I going to redefine myself.”
Remembering his interest in computers as a young man, Branum picked up a GNTC course catalog and made an appointment with Dr. Dwight Watt, instructor of Computer Information Systems Technology at GNTC, to discuss a potential career in Cybersecurity. He said he realized that it wasn’t too late to pursue a new passion, and the decision to enroll at GNTC for the fall 2023 semester was life-changing.
“Georgia Northwestern Technical College has given me a second chance,” he said. “I am now focused on my success and my progress, instead of what I had lost.”
“Change is never easy,” he said. “It can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming, but your age, circumstances in life or setbacks do not have to be roadblocks in your life. They can become stepping stones to something more beautiful than you had ever thought possible.”
Legare Price, associate vice president of Student Success at GNTC, recognized High Honor and Honor graduates, as well as veterans, FBLA Collegiate members, SkillsUSA members and Student Government Association members.
Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, vice president of Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness at GNTC, presented the graduates, and Dr. Popham conferred the graduates with associate degrees, diplomas and certificates.
Price administered the GNTC Alumni Association Oath prior to Dr. Anderson’s closing remarks.
In the photo from GNTC:
(From left) Al Hodge, member of the GNTC Board of Directors; Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president; and Paul Meredith, member of the GNTC Foundation’s Board of Trustees, prepare to enter the auditorium for the ceremony.