Fourth grader who was bullied for making homemade college football shirt gets an even bigger surprise: a scholarship from the University of Tennessee
The young boy who went viral for the response to his homemade University of Tennessee shirt has been offered a four-year scholarship to the school after making the news.
What are the details?
Florida teacher Laura Snyder shared the unnamed boy's story on Facebook, where it took off.
"He told me every day leading up to [the school's college colors day] that he had an orange shirt that he was going to wear [in honor of the UT Volunteers]," she wrote. "So when the day finally arrived, he was SO EXCITED to show me his shirt."
The boy debuted a handmade shirt that became the scorn of some fellow students at the school.
"After lunch, he came back to my room, put his head on on his desk and was crying," Snyder explained. "Some girls at the lunch table next to his (who didn't even participate in college colors day) had made fun of his sign that he had attached to his shirt. He was DEVASTATED."
Snyder said that after the story went viral, she received a Volunteers-themed care package from the university containing a jersey, several shirts, and other Vols gifts just for the boy.
The school went even further by adopting the young boy's logo design and selling shirts to benefit an anti-bullying program. A university spokesperson said that they received more than 50,000 orders for the T-shirt, and so many orders had flooded the ordering site that it crashed.
What about the scholarship?
On Thursday, the university issued a news release revealing the scholarship for the young boy.
"In recognition of the fourth-grader's Volunteer spirit, the university has extended an offer of admission for him to join the Class of 2032," the statement read. "In addition, he has been awarded a four-year scholarship covering his tuition and fees beginning fall 2028 should he decide to attend UT and meet admission requirements."
The school, according to ABC's "Good Morning America," has also been in contact with the young boy and his mother, who has "expressed gratitude to the university and said the family has been deeply touched by the overwhelming outpouring from people around the world."
The statement added, "More than 50,000 shirts featuring the boy's design have been pre-sold by the VolShop. All proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go directly to the charity Stomp Out Bullying. The university will cover the cost of the scholarship separately. Orders will begin shipping later this month."
