It was a dream come true for the Morehouse College Class of 2019.
And perhaps as well for the graduation speaker who astounded them all.
Robert F. Smith made a fortune in venture capital, mainly by investing in up and coming tech companies. With a net worth pegged at $5 billion, the Colorado son of two schoolteachers has come a long way from his middle-class childhood in Denver.
Smith has long been noted for his philanthropy and is considered one of the Top 50 givers in the U.S. But on Sunday he really outdid himself.
As guest speaker at Morehouse, Smith announced he would pay off the college debt of all 396 students.
That's reportedly around $40 million. Maybe that's not much when you have billions, but for those students it means a heavy burden lifted and a chance to focus on their careers without the pressure of student loan payments breathing down their necks.
It's an incredible gift. And the only thing Smith wants in return is for the Class of 2019-his class, as he calls them-to pay it forward and help others as they can.
Yes, it was a dream come true for the students. And for Smith this must be a dream come true as well.
And it's the perfect personification of the American Dream in action.