Company told job applicant to work a free 'trial day' — he spent 8 hours fixing their bugs, then reverted it all with a single click and left

Celebration is an emotion best experienced in the company of a loved one. But when Miguell Schmerbeck (@ifgodprovides) graduated, no one from his family could show up to share this celebration with him. As he was left feeling isolated and lonely, he called out to people to join his graduation party and become his emotional buddy. Schmerbeck shared a clip of himself in a TikTok video on May 31, navigating the graduation ceremony alone while other students’ loved ones cheered and clapped for them, trying his best not to fall apart. Just then, in the comments, his part-time employer left an adorable, inspiring message for him.

'I had nobody waiting for me'

“Everybody had someone waiting for them after they crossed that stage. I had nobody,” Schmerbeck shared, adding that he has no brothers or grandparents. His mother has passed away, and his father is generally absent. The clip showed him walking down the celebration hall wearing his academic graduation robe and cap, tears welling up in his eyes, and his voice choking with emotion. “The hardest part wasn’t graduating. It was watching everyone else celebrate with the people who showed up for them, then realizing nobody showed up for me,” he wrote in the video’s overlay. He flashed his graduation certificate on the camera and invited TikTokers to his graduation party in Bemidji, Minnesota.

'Proud of him'

@michellemaruska, the employer from the restaurant where he works, also stepped in to write a message for him in the comments, “The day he graduated he came into work cap and gown so proud...my heart broke knowing he had known one there,” she wrote, and added, “I can’t stop crying from all your kind words to him. he is such a great young man and deserves all the love and support.”

From loss to loneliness

As observed in Schmerbeck’s video, attending a graduation ceremony alone, without having a loved one or family member to witness it, can trigger profound feelings of grief. Social support and family love are not privileges, but needs that every human has. A survey of 666 college students, documented in Frontiers in Psychology, found that 30% of the students whose emotional needs were not met felt they needed extra support and suffered from grief and mental health distress compared to students whose support and emotional needs were met.

Another survey of 5,054 people, conducted by The Survey Center of American Life, reported that around one in 10 college graduates didn’t have any social connections, which led to involuntary loneliness.

'You are not alone'

In support of Schmerbeck, millions of people flooded the comments section with notes of congratulations and hugging emojis. Responses poured in from as far as Paris to Indonesia. Many people asked him to share his Amazon Wishlist, so they could support. @bridgett.nicole17 shared photos of herself with a group of Taco Bell employees, celebrating with cupcakes. “We’re celebrating for you,” she wrote.

@yonniemaury and countless others told Schmermeck that he is not alone: “Same here, buddy. I also cried like you at the restaurant and ate alone.” In a later video, the graduate also shared a QR code where people can donate money and an invitation to his June 20 graduation party.

You can follow Miguell Schmerbeck (@ifgodprovides) on TikTok for updates on his life.

More on Scoop Upworthy

High schooler with no friends paints portraits of all 44 peers and it changed their outlook on life

Stranger takes photo of teen walking alone in a graduation gown — and it changed his life completely

Woman denied off at work for daughter's graduation stands up for herself and decides to go anyway