by Larry Blanchard, Jr.;
Director of Advisement, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) provides a quality technical education to support workforce development in the communities of Northwest Georgia. Through continuous efforts, we actively look for ways that we can support our students with being successful from admission through graduation and beyond. This includes understanding who we serve, and what challenges or barriers they may encounter as a student. GNTC’s first-generation college students make up 52% of the total student population.
“With a high percentage of our student body being first-generation, GNTC is committed to creating pathways that lead to students’ achievement and growth. GNTC is dedicated to empowering first-generation students by providing academic and student support services such as personalized academic advising, financial aid guidance, career counseling and access to resources that address unique challenges. Our goal is to ensure GNTC students have access to the tools and resources necessary for their academic and professional success,” said Dr. Heidi Popham, president of GNTC.
To further this commitment, GNTC developed and implemented the First STEP (Success in Technical Education Programs) initiative in the spring of 2025 to help support for first-generation college students along their journey.
"Joining FirstGen Forward and developing our First STEP program at GNTC was particularly important to us at GNTC. Many of our students at GNTC are first-generation, so it gives us an opportunity to put a focus on how to build layers of support that will benefit our entire student body as a whole,” said Larry Blanchard, Jr., Director of Advisement at GNTC.
The First STEP initiative at GNTC aims to fill in the knowledge gaps for all students, but most directly first-generation students. With the guidance of a committee comprised of faculty and staff members, feedback from students, and the support of institutional leadership, GNTC looks to generate broad-based support for this initiative to holistically support our student population. We raise awareness of resources available to students like tutoring, food pantries, Career Services, and more. However, we also aim to provide workshops for learning opportunities surrounding topics that are considered unfamiliar territory for first-generation students, such as time management, professional communication, and financial aid.
The GNTC First STEP program hopes to continue to move the needle in a positive direction in our efforts to provide a student-first approach to support. This includes incorporating data into our decision-making process when examining how we develop the program further.
"In my sixteen years of experience in technical education, I have seen first-hand how earning post-secondary credentials can change lives. I am very excited to lead the data exploration, analysis, and reporting that will help our first-generation student population achieve their educational goals at GNTC,” said Brad Cooper, Director of Data and Research and member of the First STEP committee at GNTC.
The First STEP program at GNTC is more than just an idea; it is a practical, actionable plan to address the unique needs of our first-generation students. By providing workshops, resources, and personalized support, we aim to demystify the college experience and create a supportive environment where every student can thrive. We are committed to ongoing evaluation and improvement, ensuring that the First STEP program continues to evolve and meet the evolving needs of our student body.
For more information on Georgia Northwestern Technical College's approach, please visit their website here.
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