Update (January 3, 2020): LaTonya Young is a hairstylist by day, Uber driver by night and now a proud graduate of Georgia State University.

A few weeks ago, Young graduated with her associate degree, with the help of one of her Uber passengers, reports CNN.

After Kevin Esch, a man she picked up while working the ridesharing app, paid off her $693 balance at GSU, Young promised to make him proud.

“When he paid the balance it was like I had to do this for him,” Young said. “I maintained my grades, As and Bs, just trying to do everything to make sure he knows that I appreciate it.”

Esch was there to see his new friend walk across the stage.

When asked by WSB-TV2 about Young, Esch said she is an “inspiration” and he’s “blessed to have had the opportunity to help her.”

Young’s degree is in criminal justice. She will be returning to school to pursue her bachelor’s.

Original (December 17, 2019): When Latonya Young decided to drive for Uber to earn some extra money, she wasn't expecting any life-changing pick-ups.

The single mother of three had dropped out of high school at age 16 when her first son, who is now 26, was born, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Despite dropping out, she still managed to earn her GED and attend cosmetology school. She began pursuing a degree at Georgia State University (GSU) until a car crash eight years ago halted her progress.

Young was unable to make some payments to the university, making her unable to re-enroll for classes. She would have to pay nearly $700 in bills before attending once again.

One night, while working Uber, she made a stop at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to pick up a patron after an Atlanta United Football Club soccer match. She and passenger Kevin Esch began a conversation about their present circumstances.

He told her about his divorce, and she explained her dreams to receive a college degree. When she dropped him off to his final destination, he gave her more than just a five-star rating — a $150 tip to aid in her college pursuits.

“He was telling me you’re never too old to get an education,” Young said.

The 43-year-old decided then to get back in the classroom.

She was headed to pay off her bill at GSU when she received a text message. Esch sent her a receipt from the university, showing he paid off her $693 balance, allowing her to re-enroll.

“Nobody’s ever done anything so nice to me in my life,” Young said.

Esch decided to pay it forward because as an estate manager with no children, he figured he’d do something meaningful with his money.

“It just made me feel good to do it,” Esch said. “I didn’t expect anything from it.”

Young immediately went back to school. The two stayed in touch over the past year, with Young updating her former passenger on her course grades. Esch then made one more trip to the Perimeter College campus — this time to join Young in her graduation photoshoot in front of the advisement center, where she posed decked out in her cap and gown.

The mom of three boys will graduate with an associate degree in criminal justice this week, reports Fox 5. In January, she will go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree at GSU’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Young wants to become a federal probation officer and use her earnings to pay for law school.

She said she’s wanted to become a detective or lawyer since she was about 10 years old. She first thought she’d be a prosecutor, but now she aspires to become a defense attorney.

“I would rather help people,” Young told the outlet. “It’s not how you start but how you finish in life.”

Her middle child, an 18-year-old, is about to join the Navy, but her youngest son seems to have been inspired by his mom. He told his mother he wants to go to college to study marketing and eventually open his own firm.

Acts-Of-Kindness

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