An industrious high school student turned up for a shift at Burger King shortly after his graduation ceremony, which left a deep impression on a bystander who then initiated a fundraising campaign for his college tuition.
Mykale Baker was still wearing his graduation stole and medals when he got back to work at the fast food joint last week.
Unlike many of his fellow graduates, the 18-year-old from Georgia skipped the celebratory events and immediately dove into earning money to support his aspirations of pursuing higher education.
But his strong work ethic caught the eye of Maria Mendoza, who posted a video on TikTok after she noticed his attire.
Touched by his commitment to forgo immediate leisure in favor of advancing his academic goals, the observer took the initiative to create a GoFundMe page to contribute to his college savings.
The 20 second clip was soon viewed more than three million times.
Mendoza wrote: “While many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like.
“Just after receiving his diploma — still proudly wearing his medals — he reported to his shift at Burger King.
“He didn’t do it for attention. He doesn’t even know his story went viral.
“But thousands of people were moved by his dedication, humility, and work ethic.”
Mendoza had just seen her own daughter graduate that same day when she spotted him hard at work in Burger King.
She added: “Let’s get together as a community and support this young kid.
“All funds raised will go directly toward helping him with college tuition, books, supplies, and other educational needs.
“Let’s show him that the world is watching—and rooting for him.”
The fundraiser has now gathered nearly $45,000 for Baker to make his college dreams a reality.
Mendoza returned to the same Burger King this week to present Baker with the donations.
“His dedication and quiet strength really moved me. I felt called to do something to recognise that,” she told local outlet 11 Alive.
“I’m just grateful I got to do something for him.”
The teen was moved to tears at generosity, revealing the financial uncertainty he had felt after finishing high school.
He told Mendoza’s TikTok followers how much their kindness meant to him in an emotional message.
“Thank you so much, I was thinking of taking a gap year because I didn’t have money for school, but thank you to all of you now, I might actually go straight to technical college and get my mechanical,” he said.
“I never thought this would happen to me, I’m very thankful.”
