Billionaire Robert Smith is paying off millions of dollars of loans for recent graduates of Morehouse College. One of those graduates is from Newport News.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — It was one of the biggest days for John Chapman, III and hundreds of other of seniors at Morehouse College last Sunday. Before they knew it, it got even bigger.

Morehouse’s commencement speaker, billionaire Robert Smith announced that he would pay off the debt of the entire graduating class.

“It was a surreal moment, it didn't register,” Chapman said. “Now my loan is paid off for undergrad. I'll have that much less to pay when I graduate from law school.”

Chapman graduated Cum Laude with a degree in political science with a concentration in public policy.

He worked part-time while he was in school to start paying off $60,000 in student loans. He and his parents had a plan to pay them off within five to 10 years.

Smith’s announcement changed the plan, and that was more than all right with the Chapmans.

“It was overwhelming,” Yolanda Chapman said. “I was so excited for all the students and for my son.”

Chapman’s parents have a new plan to pay it forward.

“It shows when you're doing good things and you're committed, good things happen,” John Chapman, Jr. said.

Chapman said his goal is to work with the Department of Education and work in the public-school system.

Chapman said he planned on working for a large law firm when he got out of law school to help pay off his student loan debt.

The graduate was working part-time in Atlanta to help pay off $60,000 in student loans. He has private and government loans and has been paying on his private loans since junior year.