Latonya Young is a grateful graduate.
The Atlanta-based mother of three got a gift of a lifetime after a chance encounter chatting up a customer during her work shift.
Young’s day job is hairstylist; she drives an Uber at night to make ends meet.
She shared her life story with a passenger about how she dropped out of high school at age 16 and later college because of an unpaid balance of around $700. A few days after the Uber ride, Young got a phone call from Georgia State University that she will never forget.
“And the message stated, ‘You can register for classes now,’” Young, 43, told WSB-TV reporter Berndt Petersen.
The school said her passenger had paid off the near $700 balance, which allowed her to re-enroll at the school.
“I was literally blown away. A stranger has never done that or done anything like that for me,” she said.
The generous passenger was estate manager Kevin Esch, who according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution was going through a “life-altering change, and was in the process of moving.”
They kept in touch throughout the past year.
Young graduated with an associate’s degree in criminal justice and Esch was there to celebrate the momentous occasion.
“It just made me feel good to do it,” he told the newspaper. “I didn’t expect anything from it.”
Young told WBS-TV that she plans to become a lawyer and will appear on an upcoming episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.