This RA Read A Freshman A Bedtime Story For His Birthday And Became An Incredibly Pure Meme

The story was Leo the Late Bloomer.

By
Kassy Cho
by Kassy Cho

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Back in August last year, 19-year-old Andrew Kochamba started at the University of Tennessee. His RA handed out a form asking residents for their information and if there was anything he could do to make their years better.

Andrew Kochamba

Knowing that his RA, Quamir Boddie, had a sense of humor, Kochamba wrote that he wanted Boddie to read him a bedtime story on his birthday.

Quamir Boddie

Boddie, pictured above, is a first-time RA. He told BuzzFeed News that he found Kochamba's request "kind of strange" at the time but decided to respect his wishes and agreed to the bedtime story.

Now fast forward to 9 p.m. on Kochamba's birthday on Feb. 23.

Twitter: @akochamba

"Q knocked on the door, rocking his PJs and a copy of the classic Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus," Kochamba said. "I got all situated, and Q stood on top of my desk chair and read."

Twitter: @akochamba

"He read it all upside down so I could see all the pictures. It was impressive," Kochamba said.

He added that Boddie "definitely read it theatrically" and that "good storytelling is a performance art form."

Kochamba's roommate snapped a picture, and Kochamba tweeted it. His tweet has since gone viral with more than 13,000 retweets.

"At the time, I could not have imagined how meaningful this encounter would be; I could not have fathomed the impact it would have on the two of us," Boddie said. "Andrew was so engaged and interactive as I read to him, and that is all that really mattered to me."

Twitter: @akochamba

Boddie said he picked Leo the Late Bloomer, a book he felt represented him, because he was held back in the first grade.

"I felt that sharing this story with my residents would not only make me more personable, but also share the importance of letting people develop in their own, good time," he said.

People were big fans of Boddie's wholesome gesture.

Twitter: @KPnDC
Twitter: @taryn_mou
Twitter: @LoniPolk247
Twitter: @nbelcik

Someone then predicted that Boddie would become a meme.

Twitter: @SeeDaneRun

And sure enough...

Twitter: @C_A225
Twitter: @ZackFromCsun
Twitter: @BJBiles_

"I never ever in a million years would have thought I would be a meme," Boddie said. "I did not think I did anything that would warrant it."

He added that he thought it was the "most hilarious thing ever."

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