“If you want something done, you’ve got to go ahead and do it yourself,” Xavier Jones remarked.

Xavier Jones is fourteen years old.
The eighth-grader is originally from North St. Louis, Missouri. He and his six siblings have been living with their grandfather since their mother died a few years ago.

Life hasn’t been easy, to say the least.
Despite this, Xavier has persevered and pushed through every hurdle put in his way, and he graduated from Yeatman Middle School this year.

What an excellent achievement!

The event was planned for Harris-Stowe State University in midtown St. Louis.

That is around 6.5 kilometers from his house.

That is where the issue begins.
Xavier’s grandfather has an automobile; however, it is no longer operational. There was also no alternate transportation accessible at the time.

Xavier could only accomplish one thing that he thought was conceivable. He walked for two and a half hours to the location of the graduation ceremony.

“He did what he had to do,” Darren Seals, his mentor, stated. “The shoes he wore had holes in the bottom and holes in the top. Two and a half hours of walking I wouldn’t have traveled such a long journey.”

He utilized the web map to figure out the path and discover a method to make his objective attainable by walking.

He also invited his brother and a buddy to accompany him on his real graduation excursion.

They were delighted to be joining Xavier.

“I really wanted to walk across the stage,” Xavier explained. “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.”

Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, President of Harris-Stowe, learned of Xavier’s trek to graduation.

She surprised him with a fantastic graduation gift: a four-year scholarship, which was delivered to him at the ceremony.

Xavier was overjoyed!
“I just followed my heart, and my heart told me this is a kid who needs a scholarship,” President Collins-Smith remarked. “Many of our students come to us with a story, and many of our students come to us with environmental barriers that they have overcome or are currently overcoming.”

Xavier’s efforts had an impact on more than just President Collins-Smith.

NFL Terron Armstead, a Miami Dolphins player, heard Xavier’s tale.

He also wanted to offer something back.
“Like Xavier, we hear a narrative. Terron Armstead stated, “It’s only right. “Take a cue from Xavier. He’s a leader, whether he likes it or not. His narrative is uplifting. It’s inspiring. Leaders do things like that.”

Armstead gave Xavier Jones and his family gifts they would never forget during a celebrity basketball game in St. Louis.

They presented Xavier’s family with a $40,000 vehicle.
His granddad and the entire family can now go about their business thanks to Bommarito Automotive.

In addition, the NFL players donated Xavier a $5,000 Ryan Pritchard electric bike to utilize as a mode of mobility.

“This means a lot,” said Xavier’s grandpa, who was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia.

That was a choice Xavier had to make that day.
It became a source of inspiration for many.

“A pot of gold awaits at the end of the rainbow. “That day, I learned a lot from Xavier,” President Collins Smith continued. “Keep moving forward, even on your worst day.”