TMSG: Passenger Pays To Let Uber Driver Finish College Degree

Latonya Young told WSB-TV Atlanta that she picked up a passenger outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium while driving for Uber.

During the ride, the two strangers got to talking. The 43-year-old shared that she was a single mother and a hair stylist by day and an Uber driver by night. At the age of 16, she dropped out of high school to raise her first child. Then she recently had to drop out of college at Georgia State University due to $700 in unpaid balance.

A few days after the ride, Young got a call from her school that said she could register for classes now. The stranger in her Uber, now known as Kevin Esch, paid for the unpaid balance.

This encounter was awhile ago, and just a few weeks ago Esch was in attendance for Young’s graduation from Georgia State. Young earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice. This month she’ll be back in class to pursue a bachelor’s. She told WSB-TV Atlanta “This one changed my life. That one ride.”