Dauntless Man Shot and Paralyzed, Walk on Stage to Receive His University Degree 7 years later

Cursory: Resilient young man, Khalil Watson who lived in Virginia (USA) met with an unfortunate incident that left him paralyzed and stopped him from attending his high school graduation. The young man didn’t let his condition define the rest of his life, he persevered and would often ride his wheelchair to school because his family has no car. His optimism pushed him to study and walk across the stage with his peers to receive his certificate.

Seven years ago, Khalil Watson, a Virginian who was shot weeks before graduating from high school and became paralyzed from the neck down, was denied the opportunity to walk at his graduation.

Watson, 25, was able to stand up from his wheelchair this past week and walk across the stage to receive his first college degree with the aid of physical therapists and a robotic exoskeleton while a crowd cheered him on.

“It felt great being able to experience graduation in person since I wasn’t able to do so in high school,” Watson told CNN. “It kind of felt like a dream in a way.”

On May 15, he earned an associate’s degree in pre-social work from Reynolds Community College in Richmond.

“Seeing the people that I impacted comment underneath the (social media) post of me walking across the stage is what made me realize it was reality,” he said.

According to CNN affiliate, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Watson was wounded in the neck while being robbed on May 26, 2016, approximately two weeks before his high school graduation ceremony.A week later, the alleged shooter was discovered dead in a separate incident, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Watson was hospitalized with a spinal cord injury while his peers went to prom and graduated. After the incident, Watson was in the hospital for almost three months, according to him. He saw several social workers during that time, who encouraged him to pursue the same line of employment.

“Going through the things that I’ve experienced, I feel like I’d be able to easily connect with and understand individuals who have similar or worse situations than mine,” he said.

The recent college graduate declared his intention to pursue both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in social work as he continues his study. Since crossing the stage, Watson claimed he has thought back on the difficulties he overcame.

Watson added that in addition to the late hours and early mornings he spent studying, some days he had to ride his wheelchair for approximately an hour to go to class because his family didn’t have a vehicle that is accessible.“I was left with two options – to either go back home and miss class, or get to school the best way I could,” he said. “So, I did just that.”

Source: CNN

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