LAURENS COUNTY, Ga. — On Friday night, students at East Laurens High School are going to walk across the stage and enter a new chapter of their life.
One of those graduates is Bryce Evans, a student we introduced you to last week whose story gained national attention on social media.
"Now it's graduation time," Evans said. But his journey to the big day wasn't easy.
"I started coming here around the middle of the ninth grade, I moved from Bleckley County," he said.
He moved to Laurens County with his aunt when his mom went to jail.
"[I was] trying to be a good little kid, I tried to put money on her books, but I did not have a job, so I tried to make money however I could," Evans said.
To make money, Evans drove people around Laurens County, but he says keeping up with school and helping his mom started becoming too much.
"Doctor Hall and them found out about my story," Evans said.
He credits counselor Lesley Brantley with stopping him from dropping out.
"I called the Dairy Queen here in Dublin, I spoke with the assistant manager, and she informed me I can have Bryce go over there that day," Brantley said.
That phone call secured Evans a job.
"They helped me get a job and put money in my pocket so I could provide for my family. I could do what I needed to do," Evans said.
Evans' teachers aren't the only ones helping. Since we shared his original story, others in Laurens County stepped up.
"An envelope full of money that will ensure Evans can keep focusing on school while making sure his family is taken care of," he said. "It's all I really had growing up...there is nothing better than family, family is always going to be there, they never change."
Dairy Queen has also committed to helping him with his college expenses.
He plans to attend a two-year school to get his associate degree in business.
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