Griffin Teacher Surprises Needy 19-Year-Old Jamias Howard with Cap and Gown

Kimberly Wimbish handed a cap and gown to 19-year-old senior Jamias Howard outside his Griffin, Georgia home and filmed the moment on her cell phone, a surprise she carried out on May 19. Howard, who had not ordered regalia because he assumed he would not graduate, wiped away tears after Wimbish told him he would be walking across the stage after all.

Howard had missed his final semester, which began in January, and “wasn’t able to come back to school for the last semester,” Wimbish said, leaving him only a few credits short of graduation. He had not ordered a cap and gown because he assumed his final grades “wouldn’t make the cut,” and school staff initially were unsure he would meet the criteria in time.

Wimbish, a special education teacher at Griffin High School, volunteered to close that gap. “I worked with him after I finished work,” she said, meeting Howard at a library, a park and a Burger King so they could have class out in the community. She explained she “saw need, and I was able to fulfill that need. I had no problems volunteering to try to help him graduate,” and added, “I want so much for these babies. They have to have a fighting chance.”

The surprise itself was simple and cinematic. Wimbish drove by Howard’s house; he ran to her car when she handed him the cap and gown and told him he would be graduating. In the Facebook video Wimbish posted, Howard teared up and repeatedly told his teacher, “I love you so much,” about three times. Wimbish yelled, “Don't cry!” as he wiped his eyes and walked away, later describing the moment as “extremely special” and saying she now considered him one of her own.

The moment resonated beyond Griffin High School. The clip posted to Wimbish’s Facebook account drew widespread attention, and one outlet reported the video had been viewed close to 300,000 times; a separate social post tied to the clip showed 626 likes and 51 reposts. Community members reached out, and Wimbish said many wanted to crowd the stadium when Howard’s name was announced.

Howard and Wimbish’s son walked across the same stage at the school’s ceremony, which took place at 9 a.m. Saturday. “Now I feel like I have two kids graduating,” Wimbish said after the ceremony. In the weeks that followed, Wimbish started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to hire a paraprofessional to assist Howard when he attends college or a technical school, aiming to help him transition from diploma to postsecondary plans.

Howard’s mother praised Wimbish’s persistence, saying, “He’s the tough guy, but she got in there like the tough mom. She did not play with him. I respect her and owe her my gratitude for the rest of my life.” The cap-and-gown surprise closed a chapter that began with missed classes and a handful of credits, and it marked the beginning of a new support plan for Howard as he steps into life after Griffin High School.