Snap of teen walking to graduation goes viral earning him an amazing surprise from a celebrity

Bus driver Dee Bee was moved by seeing a young man in his graduation cap and gown heading towards the high school board her bus all by himself but in high spirits, and she wanted to inspire others with his example.

In a time when things go viral for any reason, it is satisfying to discover someone who has caught the public attention for something positive and inspiring, such as the story of Corey Patrick, of Birmingham, Alabama.

According to Inspire More, one day in May the bus driver had Patrick as a passenger and he rode for a few stops before getting off and continuing towards his high school graduation on foot.

Bee was touched by the fact that Patrick was going to his graduation in such a humble way and with no family or friends to support him, and yet he seemed so determined and satisfied by his achievement.

The driver took some pictures of the teenager on his way to graduation and shared them on Facebook, with the post suddenly going viral. The pictures along with Bee’s prideful message were shared more than 43.000 times.

‘Sometimes it's all in what you want out of life. He didn't have on the best but he was the best in my eyes. I was so proud of this black young man,’ wrote Bee on Facebook and Instagram.

The pictures of Patrick in his graduation gown walking confidently towards his high school became very popular really fast and they soon reached local DJ Rickey Smiley, who was interested in the story of this teenager.

After Dee’s photo went viral, his community rallied around Corey, and a Birmingham DJ named Rickey Smiley took notice. Rickey had Corey on his morning radio show, where he revealed an incredible surprise.

Smiley did some research and found that there was more to Patrick than what Dee had imagined, and soon his story became known to the community, turning him into a source of inspiration.

It was revealed that Patrick had gone to the same school from kindergarten to eleventh grade when his family had to move ten miles away. But Patrick didn’t want to spend his final year without his schoolmates at Tarrant High School.

Patrick’s family didn’t have a car, so commuting was going to be challenging. This is where Patrick’s determination was put to test. Taking public transportation was going to take him ninety minutes to get to school every day.

Patrick knew it was his only option, and he started to get up at 4 AM and getting back home at 7 PM. He was very disciplined and never let his difficult routine interfere with his performance at school.

Hearing about all this, Smiley wanted to invite Patrick to his morning radio show to share his story and giving him the most incredible surprise. When Patrick arrived in the radio station, Smiley presented him with a new car.

People were so inspired by Patrick’s story that he ended up receiving a full scholarship to Jacksonville University and many donations were given in his name to continue his studies. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa