Teen works at Burger King on graduation night, sparks viral college fund

Washington Post

a day ago

The night Mykale Baker graduated from high school, he didn't go to a graduation party like many of his classmates. He went to work at Burger King — even though he didn't have a shift that night.
Baker, who graduated from Mill Creek High School in Georgia on May 21, has worked at his local Burger King since February to save up for college.
When the ceremony ended that evening, he said, he and his family went to Burger King to get dinner since he gets a discount.
'I walked in there and it was very busy,' said Baker, 18. 'There were only three employees in there, so I was like, I can help you out for a little bit.'
Baker got straight to work — still wearing his graduation sash and medals.
Maria Mendoza pulled up to the drive-through shortly after, and spotted Baker working with the graduation gear around his neck.
'I noticed Mykale,' said Mendoza, whose daughter, Daizie Chavez, had just graduated from the same school, though she and Baker didn't know each other. Mendoza and her husband were picking up food from Burger King to bring back to their house for a celebration.
'My thought at the moment was, why is he here? Why is he not with his family?' Mendoza said, adding that she was struck by Baker's dedication to his job. 'I felt emotional.'
She pulled out her phone to record Baker in action. She decided to post the video on TikTok the following day, knowing others would be touched by it. It quickly went viral, and now has 4.4 million views.
'I wasn't expecting that,' Mendoza said.
Thousands of comments poured in, with many people asking how they could contribute to Baker's college fund.
'Everyone had parties thrown for them and he went to work,' someone commented with several crying emojis. 'Where can we donate?!'
Motivated by the response to her video, Mendoza started a GoFundMe page titled 'From Burger King to College Dream.' She initially set the goal at $5,000, but the fundraiser had reached nearly $200,000 as of Thursday evening.
'I still can't believe it,' Mendoza said.
As the fundraiser took off, Mendoza called Burger King and got in touch with Baker's manager. She requested to meet with him and his mother on May 24 to let them know about the video and donations — which, at that point, were at $6,000. Baker was both dumbfounded and overjoyed.
'I didn't realize she was recording me,' Baker said. 'I felt very happy. I was surprised; I had never seen that much money in my life.'
When Mendoza met Baker, she felt even more affirmed in her decision to start a fundraiser for him.
'There's hardworking children that are being raised by amazing parents,' she said, noting that she could tell how much the support meant to Baker.
Baker said he is blown away by the kindness of strangers. More than 5,600 people have contributed to the fundraiser, many leaving him messages.
'Your story is incredibly uplifting and I can't wait to hear how far you'll go in life! All the best to you, young man,' wrote someone who donated $100.
'You are a remarkable and responsible young man. You will go a long way. All our very best wishes to you,' commented someone who donated $50.
Baker said he was just doing what he thought was right and certainly did not expect to get noticed or rewarded.
'I was always taught to stay focused and keep doing the right thing,' he said.
Baker was planning to take a gap year to continue saving money for college. Now, though, he has already applied to a technical college and is hoping to start studying automotive technology this fall. He wants to become a mechanic.
'I love working on cars and fixing stuff,' he said, adding that he plans to use the unexpected windfall to cover his tuition — including books and supplies — and he will also use some to repair his car and put the rest into savings.
In addition to the funds Mendoza has raised, the Burger King Foundation presented Baker with a $10,000 scholarship.
'For him to come by the restaurant on one of the biggest days of his life to share the moment with his BK family and choose to jump in and help is a testament to his character,' Burger King said in a statement to The Washington Post.
The foundation also gave the same amount to Mendoza's daughter to put toward her education. Chavez will attend Georgia State University to study neuroscience in August.
'It was Maria's kindness and empathy that helped bring Mykale's story to the world, so we are excited to also celebrate her daughter Daizie with a scholarship for her studies,' the statement said.
Mendoza said when Burger King presented her daughter with a check, she was moved to tears.
'Seeing the excitement on my daughter's face was amazing,' she said. 'I'm very thankful.'
Mendoza said witnessing people's generosity over the past few weeks has been life affirming.
'There's still a lot of humanity out there; there's still a lot of hope,' she said. 'We can help out each other without expecting anything in return.'
Although the attention has been overwhelming, Baker said, it's been nice to be noticed, as local and national news outlets have picked up on the story. Customers have been recognizing him at work and saying 'you're the kid on the news! Congratulations!' he said.
Baker said despite the donations, he plans to keep his job at Burger King.
'I'm in it for the enjoyment, the happiness. I just love working,' he said. 'The people I work around make the job more fun.'
Baker said he hopes his story inspires other young people to work hard and be kind.
'The kindness that you put out there always has a way of coming back to you,' he said. 'I'm very thankful to everyone who has donated and supported me through this journey.'