February 14, 2011 - The Technical College System of Georgia recently paid tribute to 30 adult learners, including Albany Technical College’s EAGLE winner, Keonna Tumblin, for their outstanding achievement in the state’s adult education program.
The students were recognized during a luncheon as Georgia’s 2011 EAGLE delegates. EAGLE (Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education) is a TCSG Office of Adult Education program that annually honors an outstanding student from each of the state’s 30 local adult education programs.
This year’s EAGLE delegates represent the more than 95,000 men and women who are enrolled in adult education classes throughout Georgia. The event, held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel on February 11, 2011, was in conjunction with the TCSG Office of Adult Education’s annual Leadership Institute.
Gwendolyn Boyd, the executive assistant to the chief of staff at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and chair of the Johns Hopkins Institutions Diversity Leadership Council, gave the luncheon keynote address. An engineer who received her doctorate from Yale University, Boyd was recently was appointed by President Obama to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
Both Boyd and TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson spoke of how the EAGLE delegates overcame life’s obstacles to earn the education and respect that they deserve. This year’s EAGLE delegates, they said, are role models for the million-plus adults in Georgia who have never obtained their high school diploma or a GED.
“The EAGLE program inspires all of us with the personal stories of our fellow Georgians who have found success through education and whose accomplishments make them so very deserving of our deepest admiration and respect,” said Jackson. “These men and women are shining examples of how adult education can transform lives, improve job prospects, and created a brighter future for people throughout our state.”
PHOTO: Pictured left to right: Keynote speaker, Gwendolyn Boyd, Assistant Commissioner for Adult Education, Beverly Smith, Albany Tech EAGLE winner, Keonna Tumblin, and Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, Ron Jackson.