Paralyzed Student Walks Across Stage at College Graduation to Roaring Applause

Four years after he was injured in a football accident and told he had a 3 percent chance of regaining movement below his neck, Chris Norton walked across the stage at his graduation from Luther College on May 24.

With a little assistance from his new fiancée Emily Summers, the 23-year-old stood up from his wheelchair, stepped across the stage and received his diploma to cheers from the crowd of new graduates. Credit: Michael Crocker