Back in January, Sam Forbes stole our hearts as the ‘Dancing Barista’, the autistic 17-year-old who could bust some serious moves while making a macchiato.
Until then we could only assume that the feels he gave us (and the millions of others on YouTube) were right and justified. But now our hearts have been vindicated, because Ellen DeGeneres in her infinite chat show wisdom had Sam and his Starbucks boss, Chris, on the show – so you know it’s legit.
The host chatted to the pair from the sofa, and let’s just say our boy didn’t let us down…
The student told Ellen that having previously been informed that he would never be employable due to his autism, he managed to land his dream job after meeting with Chris Ali at Camp Thrive.
“In that moment my life changed, my whole world changed,” said Sam, describing how he felt upon getting the job.
Speaking of how much Ali meant to him, he said, “He’s an amazing boss and he’s also a really, really good friend and I wouldn’t give him up for anything,” eliciting tears from the studio audience (and blubbing from myself at my laptop).
Ellen didn’t let the pair go away empty-handed, supplying Sam with a custom made Ellen tip jar – oh, and a trip to Japan, where he’s wanted to go since he was four (if you’re not crying by this point, then you are most likely dead inside).
A Toronto Raptors fan, he was told also in a video message from Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and General Manager Masai Ujiri that he was invited to a practice session to meet the whole gang.
Of course Sam Forbes is a huge inspiration, but it’s really Chris Ali who is the one we can all learn from. Going out of his way to help Sam, his compassion and consideration helped to turn the life around of a boy who had been told no by those who didn’t want to take the time and effort to give him a chance.
It’s also important to remember that when we moan about our jobs and responsibilities, there are people out there who would give everything to have even the opportunity to do what we do every day, and which we constantly take for granted.
And there’s my Jerry Springer thought for the day.
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