High school grad goes viral for working at his Burger King job … still wearing his graduation outfit
Proudly wearing his high school graduation medals, Mykale Baker stopped by the Burger King in Dacula, Georgia, to mark the milestone with his coworkers. He had no way of knowing that a simple visit would lead to a life-changing viral moment.
Baker wasn’t scheduled to work the night he received his diploma, but when he saw the crew struggling to keep up with a surge of customers, he stepped in without hesitation. It was a natural instinct for the 18-year-old who had been named manager of a Wendy’s at just 17.
At that moment, Maria Mendoza happened to be waiting at the Burger King drive-through window for her order. She, like Baker, was coming from commencement, which had ended at 10 p.m. Although her daughter, Daizie Chavez, had graduated from Mill Creek High School the same year as him, the two had never met, which wasn't surprising in a class of more than 700 students.
From the passenger seat, Mendoza, 45, craned her neck, curious about what was happening behind the counter. Who was preparing her Whopper?
“I’m kind of nosey sometimes!” Mendoza admits in an interview with Single Sparkle. “And that’s when I saw Mykale.”
Around his neck hung medals honoring his achievements in marching band — as a percussionist, he was voted “Most Selfless Person” — and in track and field, where he competed in hurdles.
“My whole world froze,” Mendoza recalls. “My first thought was, he’s working. He’s not out celebrating like the rest of the kids. My child gets to be with me after the ceremony, and he’s here.”
And yet Baker was smiling, his face glowing with a wide beaming expression full of warmth and pure joy.
"I was so happy I graduated," Baker tells Single Sparkle.
"I couldn't take my eyes off of him," Mendoza says.
She says something came over her, a sudden urge she couldn’t ignore. She felt compelled to start recording, quietly capturing the scene without her husband or Baker noticing.
Later that night, she posted the footage on TikTok, explaining that Baker had gone straight to work after his graduation ceremony and that he looked “so proud to carry his medals.”
“This young man deserves a scholarship!!!!” Mendoza wrote.
The 43-second clip touched hearts across social media, and in just four days, a GoFundMe campaign for Baker — which Mendoza created and originally aimed to raise $5,000 — brought in more than $198,000 for his education.
In the fall, Baker, a car fanatic, will attend Gwinnett Technical College to study automotive mechanics. With nine siblings, he says, there’s never much to spare.
“Some of the money is going to go into fixing my car and the rest is going into a trust fund for school purposes only,” Baker, who was raised by a single mom, says.
Soft-spoken and humble during the interview, Baker shies away from questions that focus on him but lights up when asked about Mendoza.
“It’s brought our families together,” he says. “She’s a part of my family, and I’m a part of hers now.”
He adds that he and Mendoza's daughter, Daizie, are now friends.
Mendoza, for her part, is more than happy to brag about Baker if he won’t do it himself. She shares that Mendoza’s goal was to attend college and that he had been saving for it, holding jobs in the fast food industry since he was 16.
If he didn’t have enough, his plan was to join the Army, which would cover the cost of his education, a testament to his determination and resolve.
“He’s incredible,” Mendoza says. "A lot of kids don't think that way."
After hearing about the story, Burger King and the Burger King Foundation surprised Baker at work with a $10,000 scholarship. In recognition of Mendez’s act of kindness, the foundation also awarded Daizie a $10,000 scholarship to support her studies in neuroscience at Georgia State University.
Baker is training to become a manager at Burger King and will be working this summer, but he’s most looking forward to an upcoming trip to Disney World with a friend.
Donations continue to pour in on Baker's GoFundMe, accompanied by messages filled with praise and admiration for his work ethic
"Congratulations and God Bless You, Mykale! You are an inspiration and deserve to have the brightest future, and then some. You are already a leader and a role model at your precious, young age, and this world is made so much better by your presence," one person wrote.
Added another, "Your story truly inspired me & touched my heart. It takes determination & humility to work after graduation. I pray that God continue to BLESS you beyond measure. As a PHD educated Black woman, I am truly moved by your GRIT. The future is yours! Go get it."
This article was originally published on Single Sparkle
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