Waffle House waitress gets $16K scholarship after act of kindness goes viral

LA MARQUE, Texas (CBSNews) -- A server at a Houston-area diner has received an unexpected $16,000 college scholarship after details of her act of kindness -- cutting an ailing customer's food -- spread online. Last week, Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston awarded the scholarship to 18-year-old Evoni "Nini" Williams.

Williams works at a Waffle House in La Marque and has been saving money for college.

Last Saturday, customer Laura Wolf overheard a struggling elderly patron -- who uses oxygen -- say he had trouble with his hands and couldn't cut the ham on his plate.

Williams didn't think twice about helping the customer.

"He was like, 'My hands are not functioning too well.' He needed me to cut his food and I did," Williams told CBS News affiliate KHOU-TV. "It's something I would do any other day."

Wolf snapped a photo as Williams cut the man's food. She shared the image on Facebook. 

"It was so busy in here and she actually took the time to stop and hear what he had to say instead of walking past him. That just meant something to me," Wolf said.

Williams' act of kindness has since gone viral on social media.

La Marque Mayor Bobby Hocking issued a proclamation making March 8 Evoni Williams Day.

TSU says they have assigned a guidance counselor to help Williams enroll at the university, according to KHOU-TV. She plans to study business.