Student paralyzed from the neck down after being shot walks the graduation stage and accepts his degree

Before he could complete high school, Khalil Watson was shot in the neck in 2016. After this accident, he was paralyzed from the neck down. In 2023, thanks to state-of-the-art devices, he could walk on his graduation stage and get his degree. He earned his associate's degree from Reynolds Community College in Virginia, as per My Modern Met. He was helped by a wearable robotic exoskeleton brought to life by Ekso Bionics and therapists at the Sheltering Arms Institute. As for his injury, it has taken some time and effort. "It's been a journey; it's been lots of ups and downs," he told NBC12. "I had to learn how to eat, speak, and breath on my own."

He had to stream his high school graduation from his hospital bed. After he was shot, he had to work on his mobility and slowly get back to his education. "Not being able to graduate physically was hard for me to deal with, but being able to still attend virtually is what made things a lot easier," he recalled. In this time of difficulty, he has decided to help others in need. "Going through the things that I've experienced, I feel like I'd be able to easily connect with and understand individuals who have similar or worse situations than mine," he said.

He got into Reynold Community College and enrolled in the field of social work. Even for his graduation day, Watson had practiced walking smoothly for two weeks. "Initially, we worked on him being able to tolerate sitting up and holding his balance on his own," said therapy services manager Christina Smith. "As he has pushed to get stronger, he can now transfer out of his chair on his own, manage eating and drinking and push a manual wheelchair." And, he was able to achieve it by attending his graduation ceremony on his feet. "Congratulations, Khalil! We are so proud of you and are honored to be a part of your journey," Sheltering Arms Institute wrote in an Instagram post. "I did this for God, myself, friends, my family. I mean if people only knew how I got to this point," Watson said.

Now, he has a bright future ahead of him. He will earn his bachelor's and master's degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University. "In life, you're going to experience ups and downs," he said. "We just have to keep going." It is a true lesson in courage for any as Watson managed to walk on his special day, attend the diploma ceremony, get admission to his higher education, and plans to help people in need. We could all learn something from him.

"It felt great being able to experience graduation in person since I wasn't able to do so in high school," Watson told CNN. "Regardless of your circumstances, whatever you desire from life – go for it," Watson added.