Most children these days expect their parents to pay for their college—either through savings or through co-signing on loans.

But not Kevuntez King of Memphis, Tennessee, who was raised by his single mother.

As People Magazine reports:

“Every Sunday for the past four years, Kevuntez King woke up at 3:45am to stand on a Memphis, Tennessee, street corner selling newspapers.
 

Rain or shine, King went to work knowing that each week brought him one step closer to his dream of paying for college.
 

‘I’m a very determined young man,’ King told The Commercial Appeal.
 

This spring, all that determination paid off. King graduated high school as a three-sport athlete with a 4.0 GPA and earned acceptance to Tennessee State University. Thanks to the roughly $200 he earned every Sunday, he’ll be able to pay for college himself.
 

‘Education—that’s the key to my success, that’s my way out,’ he told WBRC.”

Through King’s efforts, he has raised enough money to pay for four years of college without student loans.

It’s great when parents are able to provide some financial help to their children to attend college. But in today’s economy, that should be considered a luxury, not a norm.

As Kevuntez King show us, even the very opportunity to attend college should be considered a blessing that, for most students, is preceded by hard work—both inside and outside the classroom.