Georgia Tech admissions surprises three Dodge County High School students with acceptance letters

The Georgia Tech admissions team handed Adrianna Randall, Caroline Southerland and Franasia Brown acceptance letters on Early Action Day 1.

EASTMAN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Most applicants for enrollment at Georgia Tech battled their nerves until 7 p.m. on Early Action Day 1 on Friday, but three Dodge County High School students got to read their admission letters hours earlier.

“Congratulations, you have been accepted to the Georgia Institute of Technology,” Adrianna Randall said as she read her letter aloud in front of her family and Dodge County High faculty and staff inside the school’s media center. 

Also getting acceptance letters were Caroline Southerland and Franasia Brown. Family and friends of each student gathered, not wanting to miss out the life-changing surprise.

Randall plans to major in business administration Randall says she’s spent the last month being nervous about how early admissions would go and was relieved to hear the good news a little early.

“For the letter to say congratulations, and for them to come to the school and hand deliver me the letter, it’s definitely an experience that I’ll remember forever,” Randall said. 

Southerland wants to study biology over the next four years. Southerland says she was equally surprised and thankful to all those who helped her reach this milestone.

“I just feel really honored, and I wasn’t expecting it,” Southerland said. 

Brown says she’ll major in computer science. She was happy to get accepted into an institution known for excellence in STEM and even more thrilled to share the experience with her loved ones.

“I never expected to be accepted into Georgia Tech to be honest,” Brown said. “I’m so happy that I had my family around me, like, celebrating.”

Georgia Tech’s Strategic Student Access program is committed to making students more aware of options that make college more affordable. Rick Clark, the Executive Director of Strategic Student Access, says one of the ways he does this is by traveling to different communities and speaking with students and their families in person.

“We’re helping to make costs more transparent, but also telling them about all the scholarships and other financial aid that’s available,” Clark said. “And why Georgia Tech is a great choice in that regard.”

Clark says the number of people pondering whether college is a good investment would decrease if more people knew about the options available to them. He wants students from Georgia’s larger cities, the more rural areas like Dodge County, and every corner of the state to know about the resources and opportunities that are out there.

“We’re trying to keep top talent in the state,” Clark said. “And we really think that Georgia Tech, for the right student, is a phenomenal choice.”