Will Ferrell just made a student’s day—and probably her entire year.
The 49-year-old actor surprised Samantha Watts with the help of the host Hoda Kotb, when he gave her a cheque for $100,000 USD to help her pay for her tuition. This all happened during a live episode of the “Today” show this past Tuesday.
The Ithaca College student thought she was only one more finalist of a contest for a scholarship to help worthy students pay for their studies. But Samantha couldn’t hide her emotion when she found out the event was in reality a ceremony to celebrate her as the winner of the scholarship.
Watts, who is studying speech pathology, and her family were going through a difficult economic crisis after her father was diagnosed with cancer. “My dad actually… is just recovered from esophageal cancer and a lot of our money had to go towards that last year,” she explained. “It would be life changing for me.”
After hearing the good news, Watts started crying. But surprises didn’t end there, since it was Will Ferrell himself who handed in the prize on behalf of Warner Bros. “You can’t actually cash this, OK? They’ll give you a real cheque.”
“I’m flabbergasted,” she said in tears. “This is amazing!”
