Though their parents weren’t there to help them move into college, these students still received some A+ support.
A recently released ad from Kleenex features John Hunt Jr., a graduate of California State University, Fresno, returning to campus to welcome incoming students who’ve experienced homelessness and foster care.
Hunt, who had been in the foster system himself, explains in the heartwarming ad that he was alone for his own college move-in because his guardians were in prison at the time. He didn’t want others in similar situations to feel the way he did that day.
“Moving into the dorms and unpacking all my stuff alone and seeing other people with their families ― it was tough for me because I would’ve loved to have my family there,” a teary-eyed Hunt said in the video. “So that day, I vowed that I would help prevent people from having to move into the dorms alone.”
Hunt, who works with the support program Renaissance Scholars, warmly greeted students in a room filled with college supplies. Others from the program were also there for the special day.
In the video, the students are clearly emotional when they check out the blankets, toiletries, notebooks and other items waiting for them.
For the freshman, move-in day is particularly special because their dorm serves as the “first home that some of them have had,” Hunt, who’s now working toward a master’s degree, explained in the video.
“To be able to say, ‘I’m going home,’ is a big deal,” one student says.
What a beautiful welcome.