Evoni Williams, a Texas Waffle House employee who spent the past year saving up for college is one step closer to her goal after she received a $16,000 college scholarship from Texas Southern University.
Evoni ‘NeeNee’ Williams, 18, was awarded the scholarship on Thursday during a small ceremony at the LA Marque Waffle House she works at to honour her for helping a partially disabled customer eat his food.
On Saturday, Williams was working a shift at the breakfast eatery when customer Adrian Charpentier came in for something to eat. Charpentier, a regular at the restaurant, recently had surgery and was having trouble cut up his food.
18-year-old Evoni Williams, a waitress at a Texas Waffle House, was seen in a viral photo cutting up food for customer Adrian Charpentier
Charpentier told Williams (pictured) that he recently had surgery and couldn’t use his hands too good
Williams received a scholarship from Texas Southern University after the school found about her act-of-kindness
‘I had no coordination or strength in my hands,’ Charpentier told ABC 7.
Williams didn’t even hesitate. She grabbed a knife and fork and started cutting up Charpentier’s food into small pieces so it would be easier for him to eat.
While Williams tended to the elderly man, another customer snapped a photo and posted it on Facebook.
‘I don’t know her name but I heard this elderly man tell her his hands don’t work too good. He was also on oxygen and struggling to breathe. Without hesitation, she took his place and began cutting up his ham,’ Laura Wolf wrote on Facebook.
‘This may seem small to him, I’m sure it was huge. I’m thankful to have seen this act of kindness and caring at the start of my day while everything in this world seems so negative. If we could all be like this waitress & take time to offer a helping hand.’
The post quickly went viral and caught the attention of La Marque Mayor Bobby Hocking and Texas Southern University.
‘Your act of gratitude and your act of service to someone else is exactly the type of student that we want at Texas Southern University,’ Wendell Williams, assistant to the principal, said as he handed the teen the $16,000 check.
Williams, who wants to study business management, broke down in tears as she was given the money.
The scholarship was for $16,000. Williams hope to attend the school in the fall and study business management
‘I was raised to help and try to give blessings,’ Williams said
The mayor of La Marque, Texas also proclaimed March 8, 2018 as Evoni Williams Day
The Texas City High School graduate was also given another surprise: her own day. During the small ceremony Mayor Hocking proclaimed March 8, 2018, as ‘Evoni “NeeNee” Williams Day’.
The teen told ABC that she’s surprised the random act-of-kindness went viral and it’s something she would do any other day if a customer needed it.
‘I wasn’t raised to bash people or anything,’ she said. ‘I was raised to help and try to give blessings.’
Williams plans to attend Texas Southern University in the fall.
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