Graduating from high school is a lot of hard work. Teens have to apply themselves and work hard for four years in order to meet all of their milestones, pass all of their classes and exams, and ensure they stay on track in order to graduate on time.
While some people don’t see high school graduation as a big deal, others know it takes a ton of hard work.
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Timothy Harrison had just completed his four years at Woodlawn High School.
On the day of his graduation, he had taken off work in order to be sure he can go to his graduation ceremony.
However, when he showed up to work on the day of his graduation, his boss was quite shocked.
Cedric Hampton, the store manager, was confused as to why Harrison was there.
Harrison’s family was “unable” to attend his graduation ceremony and he was also unable to get there on his own.
Therefore, Harrison figured he would go to work to see if he can still work his usual shift.
His family wanted to go, Harrison said, but they couldn’t.
Harrison explained his family wanted to attend his graduation ceremony “very very badly,” but they could not make it work to attend.
He figured it would be fine to go to work that day instead. He began to explain to his co-workers what happened.
His manager wasn’t going to let him just “skip” graduation.
“I said, ‘Go home, get your paperwork, call the school, and we will figure out the rest.
For me, it was a no-brainer. Graduation is one of those things you get to do once in life, and when you’ve worked all these years going to school to have that moment it’s necessary to be there,” Hampton said .
The entire Waffle House staff jumped into action to help Harrison.
The staff worked quickly to drive to the high school to grab the tickets, cap, and gown, and even brought Harrison to Target so he could buy a nice new outfit to wear.
Staff and even customers chipped in to help make it happen.
“We decided we were going to step in and take care of everything for him so he could really celebrate this day. A couple customers contributed as well. Within a few hours, we were able to get everything taken care of,” said Hampton.
Harrison said that he “felt like the president” after he got dressed.
The Waffle House staff drove with Harrison to the ceremony. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, they were not admitted inside.
However, they waited outside until after the graduation was over to celebrate with Harrison.
After the story made local news stations, people were extremely touched and interested in Harrison’s story.
The story was so moving and interesting, that it even caught the attention of faculty members at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham. They were so interested in Harrison, that something amazing came out of the entire graduation experience.
They offered him a full scholarship, as well as books.
Harrison is now college-bound!
“This young man was certainly hard-working and dedicated to the task at hand at Waffle House, and it just showed his perseverance and that he wanted something out of life.
We just wanted to see how Lawson State could help him to further his education and meet his career goals,” said Cynthia Anthony, the president of Lawson State Community College.
What a moving and beautiful story!
