(CNN) An Uber driver says she is one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a lawyer thanks to a random passenger who paid off her college debt when he heard her life's story.

Latonya Young, a hair stylist by day and an Uber driver by night, told CNN affiliate WSB that she picked up a passenger outside of Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the two got to talking.

The 43-year-old single mother told the passenger that when she was 16, she had to drop out of high school to raise her first child. And more recently, she had to drop out of college because of a $700 balance that she couldn't afford to pay off.

Young owed Georgia State University $700 and couldn't register for classes until it was paid.

"Every time I got ready to pay the money, my kids needed something," Young said, recounting the story to WSB. "I said, 'OK, I'll just wait.'"

That was that, until few days later when Young got word that she was eligible to register for classes. The passenger, identified as Kevin Esch, had paid the balance. That allowed her to register for classes, ultimately earning an associate degree in criminal justice.

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