Walter Carr refused to accept defeat—and his dedication was rewarded handsomely.

On the night before he would begin a new job at Bellhops moving company, the college student’s 2003 Nissan Altima unexpectedly broke down. But rather than call in and miss his first day on the job, Carr decided to suck it up and travel to work by foot.

Carr was expected to arrive at a client’s home at 8 a.m. in Pelham, Alabama; so, in order to get there on time, he had to leave his house at around midnight to begin his seven-hour, 20-mile trek.

At around 4 a.m., police stopped Carr on the street to check on his wellbeing. After the student explained his situation, officers took him to breakfast and then drove him to the client’s home about an hour and a half early.

The customer, Jenny Lamey, was so touched by Carr’s story she decided to launch a GoFundMe account to help him purchase a new vehicle.

“I just can't tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey. He is humble and kind and cheerful and he had big dreams! He is hardworking and tough. I can't imagine how many times on that lonely walk down 280 in the middle of the night did he want to turn back,” Lamey wrote on Facebook, as reported by AL.com. “How many times did he wonder if this was the best idea. How many times did he want to find a place to sit or lie down and wait til morning when he could maybe get someone to come pick him up and bring him back home. But he walked until he got here! I am in total awe of this young man!”

After receiving word about Carr’s dedication, Bellhops’ CEO Luke Marklin traveled to the student’s hometown to thank him in person—and to present Carr with his personal 2014 Ford Escape.

“I am honestly blown away by him,” Marklin told AL.com. “Everything he did that day is exactly who we are - heart and grit. So far, he's batting 1,000.”

Carr moved to Alabama from New Orleans after he and his mom lost their home in Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. Marine-hopeful made sure to thank Marklin, as well as everyone else who showed him support in his time of need.

“This was the first job in a long time to give me an opportunity to get hired,'” he said. "I wanted to show them I got the dedication. I said I'm going to get to this job one way or another […] I want people to know this: No matter what the challenge is, you can break through the challenge. Nothing is impossible unless you make it impossible.”