Posted on 06/22/2017 9:22:40 AM PDT by Morgana
FULL TITLE: Teen Kicked out Graduation for Only Pants He Can Afford. Three Minutes Until Start, Sees Stranger Outside
Leroy Solis Jr. walked across the stage at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas to receive his high school diploma. He looked like many of the young men graduating from MacArthur High School that day.
He wore a blue cap and gown along with dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tie. Solis Jr. did not stand out from the crowd of graduates.
However, the reason he was actually able to walk across the stage during graduation stands out as an exceptionally touching example of kindness. In just three minutes, this high school graduate went from not being allowed to participate in the ceremony to lining up with the rest of his classmates.
Solis Jr. was presented with information and expectations pertaining to the graduation ceremony. Dress code for the ceremony was one of the topics included.
A newsletter from the principal stated, “Failure to comply can result in not being allowed to participate in the ceremony or removal from the ceremony . . . This is not something that I ever want to see happen, but these expectations will be enforced.”
Solis Jr. was required to wear dress slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. He did not own slacks or a tie, though.
Instead of asking his single father on a fixed income to buy him the required clothing that he might end up wearing only once, he planned on wearing jeans and no tie. The high school senior did not think he would encounter a problem with not meeting the dress code because he thought the gown would cover his lack of dress clothing.
When he showed up to the ceremony wearing jeans, he was sent home. With three minutes left until the graduates had to line up, Solis Jr. left and walked to his car.
Before getting into his car, he saw a young man similar to him in size. Not only was he similar in size, but he was wearing dress slacks!
Solis Jr. explained to the stranger that he needed dress slacks in order to walk in his graduation ceremony that was about to start. Amazingly, the young man and his father told Solis Jr. to get in their truck where they traded pants.
The young man and father told Solis Jr., “Go cross the stage.” He quickly found somebody selling $10 ties just outside the Coliseum in the parking lot.
Thanks to the young man’s kindness in the midst of an unusual request to give a stranger his pants, Solis Jr. was able to proudly cross the stage without putting financial strain on his family. Rosemary De Los Santos, Solis Jr.’s sister, shared this story along with a picture in hopes of finding the man who gave up his pants so that her brother could walk across the stage.
The school could have been more understanding. Kids today don’t own good dress pants and what boy these days wears a tie?
Yes, in San Antonio one could buy a tie outside a graduation venue. The place is rife with Latino entrepreneurs.
Boundaries, a necessary lesson. Learn to deal with the little ones, and you won’t get killed by the big ones.
I would give someone the shirt off my back, but not my pants.
“Yes, in San Antonio one could buy a tie outside a graduation venue.”
Who knew?
Is the dad retired? Or, maybe disabled? Reason for the fixed income?
I did not click on link, so apologies if this is explained.
My Great Uncle’s Son (is that my second cousin?), won an academic scholarship to the University of Florida around 1910. He had no money but went anyway and could do enough odd jobs to barely feed himself.
The college president saw him one day and thought he was purposely wearing rags to just be an idiot. He called him in and threatened to kick him out of school.
One of his professors told the president that he was not misbehaving but that was all the clothes he had. The president relented and let him stay.
He later became a wealthy engineer.
Baloney. For 2 bucks he could get a great pair at the goodwill store. Probably a fine pair.
Just didn’t matter to him.
Had he read the dress code requirements, he could have probably gone to a thrift store or yard sale and bought a pair of slacks and tie for $2-$3.
Okay for a tear-jerk article, but the kid probably did have alternatives — or thought the dress code rules would not apply to him.
BS, at goodwill ties are a buck and slacks 3 bucks. Hell, when I went to my mothers funeral, I purchased a full suit, tie, and dress belt for 10 bucks. This kid just thought he could get away with it.
all he had to do was claim he was gay and that the school was being homophobic- they woulda bent over backerds to accommodate him then
At any garage sale, yard sale, Goodwill store or assistance ministry resale shop, he would have been able to find the required pants and a tie for less than $10.
Sounds like he thought the rules applied to everyone but himself.
UGGGH- sorry- poor choice of words- they woulda done everything possible to accommodate him
Wow. Always the cynic. Can you not for once just have a feel good moment. This is what America is all about.
Two bucks?? That's twenty hours of hedge trimming!
lol
Kid was probably lazy and procrastinated, and thought he'd call the principal's bluff. Tweren't a bluff, McGee!
When money was tight over the years, I've had no hesitation to shop at Goodwill or Sally Ann. Heck, if the kid explained his situation, they would have most likely given him the clothes.
And if there is one thing this country has it's barrels full of perfectly good, practically new clothes. We even export them!
Next time you see shots of some Somali or Jihadi mud slum, take a gander at all the wogs wearing "The Gap", "Aerospatial", "Nike", and "Old Navy" togs.
I was going to say the same thing.
For probably $5 total he could have had the tie, shirt and nice pants from a thrift store.
For another $5 he could probably have had a sport coat that went with them ... an entire outfit. Another $5 a decent pair of dress shoes. Heck I’ve seen expensive Italian made men’s dress shoes at thrift stores that look brand new for $5-10.
Heck his jeans probably cost more than an entire nice dress outfit from a thrift store.
It really doesn’t matter what a pair of pants and a tie cost. What difference does it make what the kid had on under his graduation gown. As usual, most dress codes are absurd.
I did not click on link, so apologies if this is explained.
I always am amazed when I hear this Fixed income crap. I was on fixed income my entire working life. I got paid a salary or a fixed hourly wage, it didn't change, I couldn't just say to the boss "hey I'm gonna work an extra ten hours this week cause I need extra cash. Hell when I was salaried I actually made less money every time I worked extra hours.
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