February 7, 2023: The Evans County Charter School System (ECCSS) is pleased to announce that Justin Clenny, a Claxton High School (CHS) Class of 2020 graduate, was named the Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) Winner for 2023. This program is in its 51st year, and it’s designed to showcase and celebrate students as they strive for excellence academically and personally.
Clenny’s pursuit of student excellence has been ongoing, and in a recent email interview, Clenny reflected on his path. In 2017, Clenny was a 10th-grader at CHS when he first began his OTC experience as a dual-enrolled student. Clenny stated that it was at CHS that he began developing some career skills that have served him throughout his time at OTC, his work in cybersecurity, and in life. “I had some amazing teachers at CHS. They were always encouraging me to not only succeed but to go the extra mile. This has helped me a lot in the workforce because employers are always looking for that one person who will do their job ‘and then some.’ My time at CHS taught me how to be punctual and dedicated. These two skills translate to everything life throws at me, and I am very thankful for my experiences at CHS.”
Clenny earned a Nurse Aide Fundamentals certificate as a CHS student. When asked to share some thoughts about his dual-enrollment experience at CHS, Clenny stated, “Dual-enrollment is an amazing program. It allows a student to get a jump start on their college career at little or no cost to them. Another huge feature of dual-enrollment is that it doesn’t count towards your HOPE scholarship hours. Dual enrollment allowed me to take all the necessary core courses for my program at no cost.”
Clenny had dreams of returning to OTC to pursue licensing in the Practical Nurse Program after high school. The pandemic caused Clenny to adjust his path, and he has since earned a degree in Informational Technology from OTC, and he’s in the process of completing a second degree in Cybersecurity. It was one of Clenny’s instructors for Informational Technology and Cybersecurity, Mr. Terry Hand, who recognized Clenny’s well-established pursuit of excellence and nominated Clenny for GOAL recognition. Clenny expressed his gratitude to Mr. Hand and stated, “Being recognized as the OTC winner for the GOAL award means so much to me, but truly I find this to just be the start. I want to be able to use this opportunity to help inspire others and share the importance of education and finding your passion.”
Being named the GOAL recipient for OTC provides Clenny with a platform to continue to impact and inspire others to pursue academic and personal excellence. As Clenny is now a contender for being named the state GOAL winner and spokesman for Georgia for the year, he will continue to share his story with others at the regional and state levels. Clenny has plans to visit his alma mater later this month. Dr. Mizell, principal of CHS, stated, "We are so excited for Justin being named the OTC Goal winner! He is an inspiration to all of our students at CHS! Being named the 2023 GOAL winner goes to show that hard work and dedication do pay off. We have reached out to Justin and asked him to come share his experience with our current students in the coming weeks."