Blanca stood in front of the camera wearing a graduation cap. She was not the one graduating from university. It was her son, Fernando, who was graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. But the achievement belonged to her too.
For years, Blanca sold popsicles and gum on the street. Every coin, every sale under the sun, had one fixed destination: her son’s degree.
“I paid for my son’s university by selling popsicles and gum”, she said in a breaking voice, unable to hold back her tears.
The video went viral on social media. Thousands of comments poured in to celebrate her story. “Cry, Mommy, live your achievement, your triumph”, one user wrote. Another summed up what many felt: “This video can change many perspectives on life”.
Blanca never saw her work as a burden. She saw it as the shortest path toward her son’s future.
Some university degrees secretly bear the name of a popsicle vendor.
