Rep. Arlene Beckles Congratulates House District 96 Students Who Graduated from Georgia Tech This Summer

ATLANTA - State Representative Arlene Beckles (D-Norcross) recently congratulated 39 students from House District 96 through the Merit platform who earned degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology at the end of the summer 2026 semester. Merit is a digital recognition platform that elected officials use to congratulate students on their achievements.

"39 of our neighbors just crossed the stage at one of the best universities in the country," said Rep. Beckles. "Behind every one of those degrees are late nights, hard choices and families who sacrificed to make it happen. House District 96 is proud of you, and Georgia is better because of what you will build next."

Through Merit, Rep. Beckles also recognized the students who earned faculty honors for summer 2026. Georgia Tech gives this honor to undergraduate students who earn a perfect 4.0 grade point average for the semester.

She also congratulated the House District 96 students who earned Dean's List distinction at Georgia Tech for summer 2026. Georgia Tech awards this designation to undergraduate students who earn a 3.0 or higher academic average for the semester. In total, Georgia Tech awarded about 2,240 undergraduate and graduate degrees this summer.

In her Merit message to the graduates, Rep. Beckles shared the motto of her own high school, Ellerslie Secondary School in Barbados: Tempore Sapientere Utere, which means, "make wise use of your time."

"That motto has stayed with me my whole life," added Rep. Beckles. "At Ellerslie, it meant using our time with purpose: to be creative, to be curious and to study with intention. I still live by it every day. To our graduates: you have already shown that you know how to use your time wisely. Keep doing it. Keep learning; keep creating; and bring your talents home to our community."

Representative Arlene Beckles represents the citizens of District 96, which includes a portion of Gwinnett County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2024 and currently serves on the Special Rules, State Properties and Technology and Infrastructure Innovation committees.

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