Still sporting his high school graduation stole and medals, the Georgia Burger King employee who jumped in to assist his coworkers during a late-night rush has made up his mind about what to do next.
In order to pursue a career in automotive technology, Mykale Baker declared that he would be attending Gwinnett Technical College beginning in the fall.
After graduating from Mills Creek High School at the age of 18, the 18-year-old hopes to work as an auto mechanic and eventually open his own shop.
The school, which is based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is only a few miles from the place where Baker’s big night on May 21 went viral on the internet by helping his coworkers.
As Baker bagged orders inside the Dacula burger joint, Maria Mendoza, an astute drive-through customer, noticed him.
Mendoza recorded the event and uploaded it to TikTok, where it received over 4.5 million views and went viral.
Mendoza captioned the photo, saying, “TikTok do your thing, this young boy went straight to work at Burger King right after graduation.”
Mendoza started a GoFundMe to raise some additional money for the teen’s college education after being inspired by the touching reactions from her audience and Baker’s altruistic deed.
Since then, the fundraiser has raised $231,600, a staggering 386 percent more than the original target of $60,000.
Baker said in an interview with Today in early June that “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.”
Due to financial difficulties, the teen had originally intended to take a year off before attending a technical school to earn a degree. However, after growing up with nine siblings and a single mother, he has chosen to forgo the time off and continue his education.
Mycah, Baker’s sister, said, “I don’t think he’s ever noticed how selfless he is until now.”
Read Also: Texas High School Graduate Killed in 50-Foot Waterfall Plunge at Olympic National Park
“He’s always done these things without a lot of people seeing it. It’s something that comes naturally to him.”
The Burger King Foundation awarded a $10,000 scholarship to both Baker and Mendoza’s daughter, who graduated with the Mills Creek fast food worker.
In the fall, Daizie, Mendoza’s daughter, will enroll at Georgia State University to pursue a degree in neuroscience.
“It’s brought our families together,” Baker told Today. “She’s a part of my family, and I’m a part of hers now.”
“Thank you everyone, I have no words that can express how thankful and blessed I am,” Mendoza stated.
