Ty Graham is your typical high school cliché. He is the star athlete on the football team, totally popular amongst the students, and even teachers acknowledge that the All-American teen is a walking, talking stereotype. At face value, Ty seems like he'd probably be a jerk. That's not coming from me, but his science teacher!
Who could really blame anyone for thinking that? We've see so many high school athletes get big heads when students and teachers become infatuated with their abilities out on the field. Yet, what Ty shows us is that it's so important to never judge a book by its cover. On paper, someone can seem one way, but in person, they can be totally different.
Ty Graham might be Cheney High School's star athlete and prom king, but there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. See this football player's unforgettable story below!
[H/T: KXLY News]
"He has everything set up [for him] to be a jerk," Cheney High School science teacher Marin Hatcher told KXLY. "He's this great athlete, he's popular, he's friends with everyone."
Except there's one big problem. Even though it's what a lot of students and teachers expect from him, Ty isn't a jerk, a bully, or a mean kid. In fact, he's actually one of the kindest kids at his school. Ty loves making friends with all different kinds of kids at school, not just the popular ones.
"I just love interacting with people and seeing smiles on their faces," Ty said. "I just love seeing people happy."
There was one girl in particular he always had his eye on: Hannah Devine. Like Ty, she's an athlete, too, except her wall of medals and trophies comes from competing in the Special Olympics. For years, Ty noticed Hannah around school, but he never really had any good reason to talk to her. In fact, Ty didn't even know if Hannah knew he existed.
"I didn't know if she knew who I was," Ty said. "But, I've always known who Hannah was. She was always the sweetest girl on the bus, always singing, always smiling. She's just a sweetheart."
That was until prom night. Ty was voted prom king by his peers. Then when one of the slower songs came on, Ty walked right up to Hannah who was in a wheelchair.
"I just walked right up to her," Ty said. "I wanted that to be my royalty dance."
"Seeing her smile, obviously meant a lot," Ty told the local news station. "But, I couldn't keep a smile off my face, it brought such joy to my heart… Being able to spin her around on the dance floor and seeing her light up, I'll never forget it. I'll cherish it forever… it's the highlight of my life right now."
Hannah felt exactly the same.
"I'd say dancing with Ty was my favorite part," she said.
The very next day, students and teachers alike couldn't stop talking about what had happened. It was pretty big gossip.
"I got [to school] Monday and it was the juiciest gossip," Mrs. Hatcher said. "It was like, look how great our kids are. There's hope for this world!"
See the touching moment in the video below!
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