Passing the baton: Granddaughter of the first Black Georgia Tech graduate reflects on a legacy fulfilled 

Deanna Yancey (center) with her grandparents following graduation. Photo submitted/The Atlanta Voice In June 1965, Ronald Yancey walked across Georgia Tech’s commencement stage with an electrical engineering degree to become the first Black student to graduate from the institution. Almost 60 years later, in May 2024, his granddaughter Deanna Yancey walked across a similar stage to earn her master’s in electrical and computer engineering.& His legacy was personified, and at the end of that stage stood Ronald as he prepared to present Deanna with her diploma and pass the baton.& “It was amazing. It was kind of hard to live in the moment because I know with the hustle and bustle of graduation, it wasn’t like we could spend a five-minute moment in the middle of other people graduating together,” Deanna said. “But I know afterwards, when I finally got to meet them outside, I hugged my grandfather again, and he told me how proud he was of me … So it’s just moments like that, that I cherish.” It’s a legacy that was hard-won. From multiple admittance rejections to social isolation and racial discrimination, Ronald’s perseverance is now memorialized through a statue titled “The First Graduate” that sits on...