By admin 
GASTONIA, N.C. (WJZY) — A moment at a North Carolina high school graduation has inspired and uplifted a community.
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When Kamryn Penny walked across the stage last week to receive his diploma from Stuart Cramer High School in Gaston County, the crowd and all the other students erupted in applause.
Penny was shot in January and never expected to be able to take the stage on his feet.
In fact, Penny says doctors told him repeatedly he had less than a one percent chance of ever walking again.
“That’s why I stood there [on stage] for a minute and took it all in and smiled at everybody, to say thank you,” he said.
The 18-year-old has a gratefulness well beyond his years.
Penny says it comes from finding God after being shot.
“You live your whole life having something, and you get it took from you, it’s like, ‘Damn, I wish I would’ve thanked God every day for being able to have everything I have,’ being grateful for everything that you have,” Penny said.
Penny says he went to a Charlotte apartment complex in January to meet a girl he’d been messaging, but he says it was a setup, and her boyfriend robbed him and shot him in the back and the leg.
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“[When] I first heard I was paralyzed, my first thing was, ‘I’m going to walk across the stage to graduate no matter what,’” he said.
Months of difficult physical therapy led to the moment he beat the odds.
Kamryn’s mom, Amanda Decker, wrote on Facebook, “Tonight wasn’t just about a diploma—it was about resilience, perseverance, and proving that anything is possible with faith and determination.”
“God is great,” Penny said. “God is good. If you have God, faith and determination can take you a long way. God is real, and I’m a proven miracle for that.”
Penny plans to go to college, get his barber’s license, and continue speaking out for people with disabilities.
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“If you’re going through something worse than me, continue to push through because the storm doesn’t last forever,” he said.
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Penny says two people were arrested in connection with the shooting.
Queen City News has reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police about the case.