A Gadsden State Community College student is the recipient of a 2017 “Head of the Class” award given by Malco Products.

Through the program, Malco Products recognizes outstanding graduates from technical education programs, including Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning as well as Autobody Repair.

Michael Blakley is the recipient of the “Head of the Class” award. He attended Gadsden State’s Ayers Campus and graduated in the spring with an Associate in Applied Science with a focus on HVAC. The Odenville resident now works as an HVAC maintenance technician for Hubbard Properties.

“Michael was a dependable student who was eager to learn about the HVAC career field,” said Joe Hulsey, the air conditioning and refrigeration instructor at the Ayers Campus. “He studied and practiced in and outside of the classroom and demonstrated a desire to learn and master the trade, not just to pass his classes but to change his life.”

Head of the Class winners receive a certificate, cap and a prize package of their choosing that can be used when they enter the workforce. Blakley selected an HVAC service kit that includes handles and magnetic hex driver shafts, a six-in-one screwdriver, an offset refrigeration ratchet wrench, a six-piece hex key L wrench set and a measuring tape with writable case and magnetic hook.

Malco Products, the nation’s leading manufacturer of tools for HVAC professionals, has been recognizing technical education graduates for 13 years. In that time, they have honored 40,000 students representing 500 technical schools, Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees and industry association career education programs across the United States and Canada.

MICHAEL BLAKLEY, LEFT, IS CONGRATULATED BY JOE HULSEY, THE AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION INSTRUCTOR AT THE AYERS CAMPUS, FOR BEING NAMED “HEAD OF THE CLASS” BY MALCO PRODUCTS.