South Forsyth student stuns teacher with Georgia Tech acceptance

A high school student got big news that he was accepted into the Georgia Institute of Technology this weekend, but it's his teacher's reaction that the South Forsyth High School senior wanted to spotlight.

» RELATED: On Saturday, 22,199 early action applicants learn whether they got into Tech

Max Pacheco tweeted Tuesday that he had been admitted into Georgia Tech. Upon returning to school after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he shared the news with Dr. Gloria Green, a Spanish instructor in the world languages department who holds high importance to him.

» RELATED: If you got into Georgia Tech today, congrats. It's getting harder

“So this past Saturday I was blessed to have been admitted into @GeorgiaTech . Today in school I surprised Dr. Green, one of the best teachers I’ve had and the teacher who wrote my recommendation, with the news. This was her reaction,” wrote Pacheco, who plans to major in mechanical engineering.

As he greeted Green, he walked into the room with flowers in the colors white and gold, the official school colors of Georgia Tech. Once Pacheco told his the teacher the good news, she couldn’t hold back her excitement.

“You got in Tech!” she said before giving him a big hug.

The 17-year-old, who has desired to attend Georgia Tech since the seventh grade, explained his sophomore year AP Spanish teacher “was one of the nicest and sweetest teachers I’ve ever had.”

“As for why Dr. Green means a lot to me: she was just one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had,” he told the AJC. “There are a lot of teachers out there, but Dr. Green was just able to make teaching fun and really connect with not only me but all of her students. She’s a teacher that not only wants to see you succeed in the classroom, but also wants to see you succeed beyond in life.”

Pacheco was one of more than 4,500 high school seniors who were granted early action admission Saturday. Of the more than 22,000 students who applied, 21% were admitted. In total, over 41,000 students applied for admissions in the fall, which is an increase of 11% from the 2019-2020 school year.

Pacheco, who posted his acceptance reaction on his Instagram page, garnered several congratulatory messages after sharing Green’s reaction. Georgia Tech’s official Twitter account also highlighted the student and teacher.