Georgia Tech’s Jordan Allen reads with students at Roberts Elementary

Georgia Tech football player Jordan Allen spent the morning reading with students at Roberts Elementary School in Suwanee, turning a campus visit into a literacy moment at 251 Buford Highway.

The appearance, shared by Georgia Tech Football as part of its community outreach, put a recognizable college athlete in front of young readers at a Gwinnett County Public Schools campus in the North Gwinnett cluster. Roberts Elementary is led by Principal Dr. Dion Jones and enrolls 946 students.

Allen brought his own local roots to the visit. Georgia Tech lists the Lawrenceville native as a sophomore wide receiver, 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, who attended Buford High School. His Yellow Jackets bio identifies him as a business administration major, a three-star prospect, a two-time all-region selection and a 2021 FBU freshman All-American.

That profile made him a fitting figure for a school event built around reading and motivation. Roberts Elementary has been recognized by the district as a Leading Literacy school for third grade and fifth grade for the second consecutive year, and U.S. News and World Report ranked the school No. 54 in Georgia. The campus mission, centered on knowledge, leadership and service to the community, matches the kind of public-facing example a player like Allen can provide for younger students.

The visit also fit into a larger districtwide push. Gwinnett County Public Schools says it serves more than 182,000 students in 142 schools and has emphasized literacy through its Every Student, Every Story: Powering Futures through Literacy initiative. The district also says its Academic Knowledge and Skills standards are aligned with the Georgia Standards of Excellence, underscoring how reading instruction remains a central part of classroom expectations across the system.

At Roberts Elementary, the morning read-aloud offered a simple model for how schools use athlete appearances: bring in someone students know, connect that attention to books, and make reading feel like part of achievement rather than an isolated assignment. In a school already drawing recognition for literacy work, Allen’s visit reinforced that message in a way students could see and hear firsthand.