Mykale Baker, Burger King Worker and graduating high school teen rewarded with over $50K in donations after customer, Maria Mendoza, shares TikTok video of dedicated worker who’d picked up last minute shift while still wearing graduating garb and medals.
A freshly graduated Georgia high school teen has gone viral after video showed him arriving to pick up a last minute shift at his part time place of employment at Burger King while still dressed in garb he had just worn minutes earlier at school graduation.
Viral video of the ‘dedicated’ teen, Mykale Baker, who showed up to fill a last minute shift at the Dacula, Georgia fast food joint after managers needing extra workers following a sudden rush led to the teen being widely praised. And rewarded. And how.
The 18-year-old had graduated from Mills Creek High School hours earlier and was still wearing his graduation stole and medals while donning plastic gloves to bag orders at the fast food venue on the evening of May 21.
@mariabonita528 This young man deserves a scholarship!!!! @Carlos_Eduardo_Espina @Burger King #daculaga #burgerking #youngkid #graduated #hardworking #pesopluma #nuevavida ♬ NUEVA VIDA – Peso Pluma
Baker’s attire caught the attention of drive-thru customer, Maria Mendoza, who recorded a TikTok of the hard-working employee still dressed in his graduating gear, who decided to hustle and put aside partying unlike his other senior graduating pals. That’s when the customer thought to start a Fundraiser for the teen, who unwittingly continued to work, unawares what lay in store for him.
‘While many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like,’ Mendoza wrote on GoFundMe. ‘Just after receiving his diploma—still proudly wearing his medals—he reported to his shift at Burger King.’
Mendoza’s drive-thru interaction with Baker took place around 10 p.m. after she saw her daughter graduate from the same Hoschton school located about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Mendoza’s 20-second clip of Baker has been viewed over 3 million times and received 617K likes and over 5000 comments. The video helped lead to a bevy of donors giving to the fundraiser which as of Thursday afternoon had raised over $51K. Funds which will be given to Baker so he can pursue his college aspirations.
Wrote Mendoza underneath the clip, ‘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.’
‘His dedication and quiet strength really moved me. I felt called to do something to recognize that,’ Mendoza told 11 Alive after news of the fundraiser and viral video. ‘I’m just grateful I got to do something for him.’
But perhaps the best part was when Mendoza returned to Burger King on May 26 to tell Baker about the fundraiser in his name and the surprise of joy and elation and tears of gratitude that soon followed.
The teen was overwhelmed by the generosity of the nearly thousand donors and offered hugs to both his mother and Mendoza in a second heartfelt video posted to TikTok.
Baker revealed the uncertainty he faced post-graduation because of financial restrictions, and had previously been thinking about taking a gap year to save up for college, along with considering going to trade school.
‘Thank you so much, I was thinking of taking a gap year because I didn’t have money for school, but thank you to all of you now, I might actually go straight to technical college and get my mechanical (sic),’ he said, addressing Mendoza’s TikTok followers.
‘I never thought this would happen to me, I’m very thankful,’ Baker said through tears.
