Contributors have given more than $200,000 to a high school graduate who jumped in to help coworkers at Burger King while still wearing his graduation apparel. His story went viral via a TikTok video. Burger King has separately given him a $10,000 scholarship.
On May 21, Mykale Baker graduated from Mill Creek High School in a suburb of Atlanta. He might have known it was a day that would change his life when he woke up, but he absolutely didn’t know the extent of that change.
After the ceremony, Baker and his parents went to the local Burger King to grab dinner. Baker had worked there since February to save money for college and the family could eat at a discount. When they walked in, though, the place was booming—and there were only three employees trying to juggle cooking the food and handling customer orders. Baker volunteered to help and got straight to work, while still wearing his graduation medals and sash.
A bit later, Maria Mendoza pulled up to the drive-thru and spotted Baker. She shot a video of him hard at work and posted it on TikTok, where it went viral. People asked how they could help Baker with his college expenses, so Mendoza launched a GoFundMe campaign.
As of Friday morning, that campaign has gathered over $201,000 in pledges.
“While many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like,” Mendoza wrote.
Mendoza and Baker didn’t know each other. She happened to be at the restaurant to pick up food for a party celebrating her own daughter’s graduation from Mill Creek.
Baker wasn’t aware of the video or the fundraiser until three days later, when Mendoza spoke with the manager at Burger King, asking to meet Baker. The fundraiser, at the time, had collected $6,000.
“I didn’t realize she was recording me,” Baker told The Washington Post. “I felt very happy. I was surprised; I had never seen that much money in my life. … I’m very thankful to everyone who has donated and supported me through this journey.”
Beyond the money raised via the GoFundMe, Burger King has presented Baker with a $10,000 scholarship—as well as a $10,000 scholarship for Mendoza’s daughter.
Baker had planned to take a gap year to save up for college. Now, he says, he has applied to a technical college and plans to study automotive technology this fall, with plans to become a mechanic.
Until then, though, he plans to keep working at Burger King.
“I just love working,” he said. “The people I work around make the job more fun.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
