Waffle House employee nearly misses graduation, co-workers help him get there

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A teen nearly missed his high school graduation but his Waffle House co-workers were not going to let him not participate.

>> Read more trending news

Timothy Harrison had been working at Waffle House in Birmingham, Alabama, for about a month as he wrapped up his senior year at Woodlawn High School.

Harrison didn’t have a way to get to the ceremony because his family was all working, so he headed to his job. But the shop’s manager was not going to let the 18-year-old miss his moment, WBRC reported.

“That’s when I said, ‘Why aren’t you going to graduation?’” Cedrick Hampton told WVTM. “And he said, ‘I don’t want to miss work.’ So I was like, ‘You’re going!’”

Harrison’s co-workers chipped in and bought him dress clothes and then Shantana Blevins drove him across town to get his cap and gown before driving him 20 miles to get him to graduation.

“The old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a baby. I’m just happy to be part of that village,” Hampton told WBRC.

“When I put on (the) clothes, that was a different feeling,” Harrison told WVTM. “I don’t even know the words. A million dollars? It was the best feeling.”

“To see his face when he came out, that was priceless,” Blevins told WVTM.

>> Need something to lift your spirits? Read more uplifting news

After news of Harrison’s graduation went viral, Lawson State Community College gave him a full scholarship and books.

“Now he can go to college and figure out what (to) do in his life and we’re gonna help guide him,” Hampton told WVTM.

©2021 Cox Media Group