{"id":21281,"date":"2025-06-03T18:01:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T22:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=21281"},"modified":"2025-06-03T18:01:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T22:01:52","slug":"hard-working-grad-who-went-viral-after-working-burger-king-shift-in-cap-and-gown-gets-22k-in-donations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2025\/06\/hard-working-grad-who-went-viral-after-working-burger-king-shift-in-cap-and-gown-gets-22k-in-donations.html","title":{"rendered":"Hard-Working Grad Who Went Viral After Working Burger King Shift in Cap and Gown Gets $22K in Donations"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_21284\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21284\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/89\/2025\/06\/Burger-King-Graduate_credit-Left-Mariabonita58-TikTok-Right-GoFundMe.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21284\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/89\/2025\/06\/Burger-King-Graduate_credit-Left-Mariabonita58-TikTok-Right-GoFundMe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Mariabonita58 \/ TikTok | Right: GoFundMe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"183\" data-end=\"368\">While many high school graduates celebrate with friends and family after receiving their diplomas, 18-year-old Mykale Baker had a different plan: clocking into his shift at Burger King.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"370\" data-end=\"692\">Just hours after graduating from Mill Creek High School in Dacula, Georgia, Baker showed up to work at his local Burger King still wearing his graduation stole and medals. It was a last-minute decision to help with the late-night rush on May 21, and one that quickly captured hearts far beyond the restaurant\u2019s drive-thru.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"694\" data-end=\"993\">One of those hearts belonged to Maria Mendoza, a mother who had just attended her own daughter\u2019s graduation from the same school. When she saw Baker at the window\u2014working hard, smiling, and still dressed in his graduation regalia\u2014she pulled out her phone and recorded a brief 20-second TikTok video.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@mariabonita528\/video\/7507469018077416735\" data-video-id=\"7507469018077416735\">\n<section><a title=\"@mariabonita528\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@mariabonita528?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@mariabonita528<\/a> This young man deserves a scholarship!!!! @Carlos_Eduardo_Espina @Burger King <a title=\"daculaga\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/daculaga?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#daculaga<\/a> <a title=\"burgerking\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/burgerking?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#burgerking<\/a> <a title=\"youngkid\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/youngkid?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#youngkid<\/a> <a title=\"graduated\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/graduated?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#graduated<\/a> <a title=\"hardworking\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/hardworking?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#hardworking<\/a> <a title=\"pesopluma\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/pesopluma?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#pesopluma<\/a> <a title=\"nuevavida\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/nuevavida?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#nuevavida<\/a> <a title=\"\u266c NUEVA VIDA - Peso Pluma\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/NUEVA-VIDA-7242842630979045377?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u266c NUEVA VIDA &#8211; Peso Pluma<\/a><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"995\" data-end=\"1301\">\u201cWhile many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like,\u201d Mendoza wrote on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/from-burger-king-to-college-a-dream\">GoFundMe<\/a> page she later created. \u201cJust after receiving his diploma\u2014still proudly wearing his medals\u2014he reported to his shift at Burger King.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1303\" data-end=\"1479\">The video quickly went viral, racking up more than 3 million views. Thousands of viewers were touched by Baker\u2019s humility and work ethic, and Mendoza felt compelled to do more.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1481\" data-end=\"1652\">\u201cHis dedication and quiet strength really moved me,\u201d she told 11 Alive. \u201cI felt called to do something to recognize that. I\u2019m just grateful I got to do something for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1654\" data-end=\"1787\">She launched the fundraiser to help Baker pursue higher education. In just days, more than $22,000 was raised by nearly 1,000 donors.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1789\" data-end=\"2091\">Baker, who had been unsure about his future due to financial limitations, was overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity. Mendoza returned to Burger King on May 26 to surprise him with the news\u2014and this time, the cameras captured a different kind of moment: one filled with tears, hugs, and gratitude.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2093\" data-end=\"2376\">\u201cThank you so much,\u201d Baker said, addressing the donors through Mendoza\u2019s follow-up TikTok. \u201cI was thinking of taking a gap year because I didn\u2019t have money for school, but thank you to all of you now, I might actually go straight to technical college and get my mechanical [degree].\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2378\" data-end=\"2465\">\u201cI never thought this would happen to me,\u201d he added through tears. \u201cI\u2019m very thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2467\" data-end=\"2637\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">This inspiring story reminds us that God sees faithfulness in the little things\u2014and sometimes uses a drive-thru window and a stranger\u2019s kindness to open unexpected doors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While many high school graduates celebrate with friends and family after receiving their diplomas, 18-year-old Mykale Baker had a different plan: clocking into his shift at Burger King. Just hours after graduating from Mill Creek High School in Dacula, Georgia, Baker showed up to work at his local Burger King still wearing his graduation stole&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":21284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hard-Working Grad Who Went Viral After Working Burger King Shift in Cap and Gown Gets $22K in Donations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Georgia teen worked a Burger King shift in his cap and gown after graduation\u2014prompting a mom to raise thousands for his college education.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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