Paralyzed Student Walks At College Graduation 7 Years After Being Shot in Virginia

Khalil Watson was shot in the neck which left him paralyzed two weeks before his 2016 high school graduation in Virginia. Seven years later, the paralyzed student walked the stage to receive his college degree.

On May 26, 2016, Khalil Watson, then 18, was shot in the neck during a robbery in Virginia. Unfortunately, the incident was two weeks before his high school graduation. Nonetheless, the suspected shooter was found dead a week later in an unrelated incident.

An article in CNN states that the shooting left Watson with a spinal cord injury which confined him for around 3 months in a hospital. The paralyzed student states that during his hospitalization, he met several social workers who motivated him to pursue the same career.

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Paralyzed Student Graduating in College

According to Green, the physical therapists and doctors at the Sheltering Arms Institute, a physical rehabilitation hospital in Richmond, have helped Watson since 2016. In addition, the paralyzed student also spent almost 2 weeks training to use the robotic exoskeleton provided by the facility to use for his college graduation.

Eventually, on May 15, Watson, now 25, was able to walk across the stage to receive his college degree. Reports say the paralyzed student earned an associate’s degree in pre-social work after graduating in Reynolds Community College. Watson states he intends to carry on with his education and pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work.

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