Latest news with #MillCreekHighSchool
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
GoFundMe for teen who jumped in to work at Burger King on his graduation night tops $200,000
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
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Teen works at Burger King on graduation night, sparks viral college fund
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.'
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Who is Mykale Baker? Georgia teen working at Burger King in graduation gown gets nearly $130K in donations
A teenager from Georgia received nearly $130,000 in donations after going to work at Burger King in his graduation outfit. Mykale Baker, 18, had a big reason to celebrate on May 21. The senior from Mill Creek High School had just graduated, wearing medals he earned through hard work. But after getting his diploma, Baker didn't take a break. He went straight to his job at Burger King in Dacula, Georgia — still wearing his graduation clothes. His quiet dedication didn't go unnoticed. Maria Mendoza, a local resident, noticed what he was wearing and filmed a short TikTok video. She wanted to show others how Mr. Baker chose work over a well-deserved summer break. Like Ms. Mendoza, many people online were impressed by his strong work ethic. Her 20-second video went viral, getting more than 3 million views. Because of the huge response, Ms. Mendoza started a GoFundMe page for Mr. Baker. So far, it has raised nearly $130K. Also Read: Burger King drops fiery How to Train Your Dragon menu ahead of movie release: Here's when you can get it The Gofund me post reads, 'Help This Humble Graduate Chase His College Dreams Went to his job found out his name is Mykale..' The post adds, 'While many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like. Just after receiving his diploma—still proudly wearing his medals—he reported to his shift at Burger King. He didn't do it for attention. He doesn't even know his story went viral. But thousands of people were moved by his dedication, humility, and work ethic.' The post adds, 'We're starting this GoFundMe to help him take the next step: college. Let's get together as a community and support this young kid. All funds raised will go directly toward helping him with college tuition, books, supplies, and other educational needs.' The post concludes, 'Let's show him that the world is watching—and rooting for him. Even if you can't donate, please share this campaign to help us bless someone who truly deserves it.'
