Media release from Georgia Northwestern Technical College:
The Foundation at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has announced the first recipients of the new Octaviano and Bertha Perez Scholarship.
Jesus Arellano and Jackson Woodard—both students in Construction Management at GNTC’s Gordon County Campus in Calhoun—received the scholarship for the fall 2025 semester.
The scholarship was established by Octavio Perez in gratitude to his parents, Octaviano and Bertha Perez, who he said helped him to become the person he is today—a person he is proud to be.
“We are so thankful to Mr. Octavio Perez for his support of our Construction Management students,” said Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president. “This scholarship will absolutely help these two students reach their educational goals.”
The scholarship supports two students enrolled in the Construction Management program, one with an interest in Carpentry and the other in Masonry.
“I have been a realtor since 1979, and I know how important home ownership is for individuals and families worldwide,” Octavio Perez said. “The construction industry is critical to the development of any nation.”
In the photo from GNTC:
(From left, front row) Jackson Woodard, scholarship recipient; Octavio Perez; Jesus Arellano, scholarship recipient; (back row) Dr. Heidi Popham, president of GNTC; and Donny Holmes, program director and instructor of Construction Management at GNTC.