Inspiring Cab Driver's Life Changed by Passenger Who Paid for Studies
- Latonya Young was just going about her Uber business when she met a passenger who changed her life
- After trading stories about each other, she revealed to one Kevin Esch that she really wished to go back to college and graduate
- The good Samaritan paid her fees, making it possible for her to achieve the dream
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When Latonya Young received an Uber request to pick and drop a passenger by the name of Kevin Esch, she had no idea it was her path to achieving a lifelong goal.
Source: UGC
As an Uber driver, she was in the habit of talking with her passengers to make them feel easy and enjoy the ride.
It happened that during the talk the two exchanged a lot about themselves, with Esch revealing about his divorce and Latonya disclosing that she had dropped out of school and really needed to rejoin but was short of money.
The mother of three, who is 43 years old now, dropped out of school at age 16 when she gave birth to her now 26-year-old son, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Without informing her, Esch made the pending fee balance of $700, allowing Latonya to re-enrol at the Georgia State University.
“I’m proud of her. She’s done an amazing job to make it this far. Through the pandemic, through virtual schooling, through everything. It’s amazing,” said Esch.
Latonya, who has since graduated with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice, is forever grateful for the proverbial good Samaritan, who made the seemingly impossible become possible for her.
“He was a big part of my journey. I don’t think I’d be here if I hadn’t have met him. I wouldn’t have had this happen,” said Latonya.
She expressed her joy, calling it the best feeling in the world and one she cannot explain because she never envisioned herself being where she currently is.
Soon after her graduation, Latonya released a book titled From Broken to Blessed, set to be released in two weeks.
“I pray to God that I get a good job opportunity that pays well so I can pay my loans and take care of my child. Whoever has a good-paying job for me, that’s the goal,” she said, adding that her dream is to become a federal probation officer.
Latonya's story is testimony that having children is not the end of pursuing some dreams, like education.
Briefly News previously reported that 78-year-old Linda Owens has never been married and does not have a child of her own, but she has taken care of more infants than many mothers out there.
This is due to the fact that for the last 34 years, she has been a foster mother to 81 infants. Owens, who lives near the San Francisco Bay, reveals that it is a rewarding and heartwarming endeavour.
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Source: Briefly News
Denika Herbst (Editor) Denika Herbst is a Human Interest writer at Briefly News. She is also an Industrial Sociologist with a master's degree in Industrial Organisational and Labour Studies from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, which she completed in 2020. She is now a PhD candidate at UKZN. Denika has over five years of experience writing for Briefly News (joined in 2018), and a short time writing for The South African. You can reach her via: denika.herbst@briefly.co.za.
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
