BRODHEADSVILLE -- A nursing student from the Poconos recently got a big surprise. A special scholarship means she won't have to worry about paying for her final year of school.
The moment she found out has been seen online around the world.
The viral video features "Star Wars" actor Adam Driver surprising the young nursing student with a scholarship as part of Folds of Honor charity group.
That student, Hayley Williams, is from Brodheadsville. She spoke with Newswatch 16 about her once in a lifetime experience.
"Honestly, at first I thought he was part of the film crew because so many people were in and out of the house. I didn't think that Adam Driver would show up in my kitchen, so I wasn't, at that point I hadn't said a word," said Williams.
Folds of Honor gives scholarships to families of disabled or fallen veterans. Hayley's father John served in the Army but suffered a severe back injury. He says the recognition helps in more ways than one.
"It helped her and helped us financially, but it also kind of helped me because for over 26 years, I was injured and I have been dealing with this problem with my back, and I wasn't able to go overseas because I got injured. I felt like this validated everything," said John Williams.
Hayley applied for the scholarship by writing an essay about her father.
Her story not only piqued the interest of Adam Driver, who was also injured after enlisting in the Marine Corps, but also Anheuser-Busch.
The combined scholarship will pay for Hayley's last year of nursing school at Eastern University near Philadelphia.
"It's crazy because I have always worked two jobs during the semester. I was a student athlete, so I was busy all the time and it is just what I had to do. It's what I had to do to get by, pay my bills and go to school, so the fact that this has happened, I don't know if it will fully hit. It hit hard when the video came out, and I don't think it will fully hit me until that first payment rolls around and I don't have to make it," said Hayley Williams.
Hayley says she'll continue to hold a job while she finishes school.
Her goal is to work with veterans after she graduates and eventually become a nurse practitioner.