Paralyzed Shooting Victim Walks in College Graduation With Help of Exoskeleton

Seven years after a shooting left him paralyzed from the neck down, 25-year-old Khalil Watson used an exoskeleton suit to walk across the stage and receive his diploma from Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia, on May 15.

According to reports, Watson was shot shortly before his senior prom and was unable to attend his high school graduation.

The powered exoskeleton was made by Ekso Bionics and lent to Watson by the Sheltering Arms Institute, a rehabilitation center in Richmond where Watson received therapy.

Watson graduated from Reynolds with an associate’s degree and planned to attend Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s and, eventually, a master’s degree in social work, reports said.

Video filmed by Reynolds Community College shows Watson walking across the stage with the help of the exoskeleton and an aide as his peers and others in the audience gave him a standing ovation. Credit: Reynolds Community College via Storyful

Video Transcript

- Yeah!

[CHEERING]

[APPLAUSE]

[CHEERING]

- Khalil [INAUDIBLE] Watson.

[APPLAUSE]

[CHEERING]

- Congratulations. Well done, congratulations.

[APPLAUSE]

[CHEERING]

- Yeah!

[APPLAUSE]

- Wyatt Peyton Davis.

[CHEERING]

- Arden Olivia Del Bueno.