We often hear about pictures going viral online. Sometimes, we may wonder why they have gained such a level of popularity and they just seem to come out of the blue. Every once in a while, however, we hear of someone or see a picture that is posted and we know instantly why it has gone viral. That is the case with this picture and it has gained popularity worldwide for a very special reason.
It started when Dee Bree, a bus driver saw a young man heading toward high school. It was May and this wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary but the fact that he was wearing a graduation cap and gown really took Bree by surprise. He watched the teen as he boarded her bus and then continued riding for a few stops. At that point, he left the bus and started walking toward the graduation ceremony on foot.
The young man’s name is Corey Patrick and he lives in Birmingham, Alabama. It was his intention to just get to the graduation by any means possible. In the process, however, he ended up inspiring many and getting a nice surprise as well.
When Bree saw what was happening in front of her, she couldn’t help but take some pictures. It was a very moving scene as he walked off toward the graduation ceremony. She also noticed that he was alone and he didn’t have any support of family or friends on that day. That didn’t stop his determination, however, and he continued forward.
When this bus driver shared the images on her Facebook account, the post blew up and went viral.
“I did it to inspire people on my page,” Dee later explained. “I didn’t do it because I knew him. I just did it because he got on my bus and I was inspired that he got on by himself and he was so determined to get it with no one backing him.”
What she didn’t realize is that Corey was going to graduation by himself but it was only part of the story. When the details surfaced about how he spent the past year, it really took everyone by surprise.
As it turns out, he had attended every grade from kindergarten until 11th grade at the same school. At that point, his family moved approximately 10 miles away but he didn’t want to miss graduation with his old schoolmates at Tarrant High School. He decided that commuting to that location was the best choice but he didn’t have a car.
Corey uses public transportation but it took a number of different buses through Birmingham and about 90 minutes to get where he was going. He had to start at 4 in the morning and leave his home by 4:30 AM. When he got home at night, it was already 7 PM.
Regardless of what he had to go through to make the commute, he worked hard to get his degree. When the story about what he did went viral, the community rallied around his cause. Ricky Smiley, a Birmingham DJ, talked about it on his morning radio show and he had a surprise to reveal.
Ricky presented Corey with a brand-new car.
We did it!! We gave Corey Patrick a car of his own!!!! pic.twitter.com/KFwwmUn7Gm
— Rickey Smiley (@RickeySmiley) May 25, 2018
In addition to the car, Corey received over $20,000 from a Gofundme campaign that was set up for his college expenses. People from across the country were contributing to this young man.
Corey has a full scholarship to Jacksonville University. We are sure that he will continue to put in the legwork necessary to achieve his goals.