Timothy Harrison, 18, showed up for work on the night of his graduation in Birmingham, Alabama. He had no gown, no tickets, and no way to get across town to the ceremony. So he decided to stay behind the counter at Waffle House, as if that night were just another one.
His coworkers would not allow it. Manager Cedric Hampton and employee Shantana Blevins arranged everything in minutes. They bought him pants, a shirt, and a tie, rushed to pick up his gown and cap at Woodlawn School, and Blevins drove nearly 32 kilometers to arrive just in time. “When I put on the new clothes, it felt different, like having a million dollars”, Timothy said.
What seemed like the happy ending was only just beginning. His story went viral, and Lawson State Community College offered him a full scholarship, including books. A young man who days earlier could not see how he would get to his graduation now has an entire path ahead of him.
