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Uber rider pays off Georgia driver’s unpaid college fees so she can return to school and graduate

ATLANTA (Video from WSB-TV via CNN) – An Atlanta woman's college dreams are finally coming true after a stranger's help, who she had picked up and driven as an Uber driver.

Latonya Young told WSB-TV it's a car ride she'll never forget.

"I got a call to go to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was a Atlanta United game," she told the TV station.

The 43-year-old single mom told her rider, Kevin Esch, that was making ends meet as a hairstylist during the day and an Uber driver in the evenings.

She had also been studying criminal justice at Georgia State University, but she dropped out after she was unable to pay off a $700 unpaid balance.

"Every time I got ready to pay the money, my kids needed something," Young said. "I said, 'OK, I'll just wait.'"And then, a few days after she drove Esch, she learned that the balance had been paid off.

That allowed her to return to school and earn her associate’s degree. She plans to continue studying to earn her bachelor’s degree.