A student graduate from Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, tattooed a note from his teacher.
The recent Class of 2024 graduate, Chayce McCoy, said he was never interested in school.
"I had no drive, no passion, nothing," McCoy said. "I didn't expect to ever have the possibility of going to college or ever really graduating."
In his junior year, McCoy joined the school's culinary arts program, taught by Renee Sigmon.
"It's been really challenging. She's always pushed me to be my best as a person," McCoy said.
Sigmon stated that her goal in her classroom was to make her students feel like family.
"On the first day, I let them know, 'You're going to see me every day, several hours a day, the entire school year. You're going to be like brothers and sisters in here,'" Sigmon said.
McCoy saw Sigmon as his "school mom." and wanted to show his appreciation to his teacher in a special way.
His way of showing his appreciation was by getting a tattoo of the words from a note she wrote him before he graduated.
The note said, "Don't let anyone dull your sparkle! Always live your truth and continue to fight for what you believe."
McCoy stated that he believes life works in mysterious ways because the words his teacher wrote for him were what he needed to hear.
He also recorded Sigmon's reaction to the tattoo and posted it on TikTok for others to witness.
This video has since been viewed over 4 million times.
The video's comments are filled with people wishing they had a teacher like Sigmon. Now, McCoy and Sigmon shared similar advice to those people.
"I had to let my guard down a little bit with teachers," McCoy said. "I think it is important to have good relationships with teachers."
As for Sigmon, she said, "Don't be scared to say, 'Hello,' and to start conversation with each other. It's scary the first time, but just smile, eye contact and talk to that person."
It's now in McCoy's plans to attend college in the fall to study business because he would like to open his own restaurant in the future and potentially take over Sigmon's job when she retires.
Source: KWCH 12 News