When TikToker Gerald (@stories_and_challenges) was young, he went to high school in Sitka, Alaska. While he was there, a girl named Michol changed the course of his entire life.
Michol sat next to him in chemistry class. During junior year, he started applying to colleges and mentioned how expensive the applications were.
His family just didn’t have the money. At the time, he was living in a trailer park with his dad. Soon after, he was invited to Michol’s house for dinner.
“I knew the family well, and it wasn’t an uncommon thing in our small, little town,” said Gerald. “However, what was uncommon was that her father, also named Michol, pulled me aside in the kitchen, and he asked me about college, and if I had the money to pay for the application to the school I really wanted to go to.”
Gerald told him that the application fee was a couple of hundred bucks, and there were a few other schools he was interested in as well. In total, the application fees added up to about $600.
Michol’s father wrote him a check, signed it, and handed it to him on one condition. He never wanted Gerald to pay him back. He proceeded to tell him a story about when he was new in town with his young family, and they were absolutely broke.
As a joke, his coworkers left him an anonymous check for thousands of dollars in the company mailbox.
“He never found out who left it for him, and from that day forward, he decided he wanted to help other people,” said Gerald. “And that was his commission to me, was to go pay it forward.”
“So, the takeaway here is not that you have to have 600 bucks. It’s that you have to pay attention to who’s sitting next to you in chemistry class.”
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Gerald ended up being accepted into the college of his choice. Although he and Michol haven’t talked in over a decade due to having families and busy lives, he still remembers her fondly.
In the comments section, several TikTok users shared acts of generosity they have witnessed in their own lives.
“My son was killed in 2024. Many of his friends, ours, and family donated to his GoFundMe, allowing for all his siblings to attend his funeral. It also took care of expenses. Since then, I pay it forward by helping with funeral expenses posted by friends and family. It takes a village,” commented one user.
“Same thing here, but my friend’s dad paid for a triathlon back when I was in high school. It was $45. I did not have the money, and my exercise kept me out of trouble,” wrote another.
“My mom paid for my college, so I didn’t have to have loans. And my brother’s too. And she helped my cousins and their kids, her grandkids, etc. Glad to have a great example of why being generous is important and that education is important,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
