Atlanta Senior Carries Historic Family Legacy To Georgia Institute Of Technology
Ralph Long IV, a graduating senior at Benjamin E. Mays High School, will attend Georgia Tech this fall after earning top academic honors
Black News 
An Atlanta high school senior is preparing to continue a family legacy more than six decades in the making at Georgia Institute of Technology, CBS News reports.
Ralph Long IV, a graduating senior at Benjamin E. Mays High School, will attend Georgia Tech this fall after earning top academic honors, including a Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR), and ranking among the top 10% of his class. The achievement carries historical significance for the Long family because his grandfather, Ralph Long Jr., was one of the first Black students admitted to the university in 1961.
Long IV said he chose Georgia Tech for its engineering opportunities and plans to study computer engineering with a focus on artificial intelligence and hardware systems. He also received several scholarships ahead of enrollment.
His grandfather, alongside Ford Greene and Lawrence Williams, became known as “The Three Pioneers” after integrating Georgia Tech during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The three men were later honored with statues on campus recognizing their role in desegregating the institution.
Ralph Long Jr. told CBS Atlanta that his time at the university was marked by isolation and intense scrutiny. He recalled avoiding much of campus life because of safety concerns and racial tensions during the era, but looks forward to Ralph IV experiencing his own journey.
“The legacy is there but it’s Ralph’s will now,” said Long Jr. “He has to prove himself. Hopefully, he realizes he has the capabilities to do a lot of things that enable other Blacks to follow him and continue the legacy.”
For his grandson, the experience is expected to look very different.
Long IV said comparing his acceptance process to his grandfather’s underscored how much access and opportunity have changed for Black students pursuing higher education in STEM fields.
“I want to make sure I get a lot of hardware and software experience there. I definitely want to see what their AI machines are looking like.”
Georgia Tech’s history with Black students has become a broader symbol of educational progress in Atlanta. The university has continued recognizing trailblazing Black alums, including Ronald Yancey, who became the school’s first Black graduate in 1965.
As Long IV prepares to enter the Georgia Institute of Technology, his grandfather said he hopes the milestone inspires more Black students to pursue higher education and careers in technology and engineering.
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