One graduate is doing the unthinkable.
Despite being paralyzed from the chest down due to a spinal cord injury, 22-year-old Jaiden Picot walked across the stage at Virginia Union University’s graduation ceremony on Saturday to get his degree.
With a million-dollar smile and endless determination, Picot used a robotic exoskeleton to cross the stage, a moment he had long dreamed of. “I graduated in 2020 during COVID, so I never had the opportunity to walk the stage,” he shared. After a tragic accident in August, where he was struck by a truck while riding a scooter to work, he feared he might never have that chance again.
“I didn’t even think I would be graduating today. I thought I would have to take a longer leave,” Picot admitted. But he didn’t let that stop him. Instead, he took it one step at a time, determined to make his dreams come true.
Just two weeks into his rehabilitation at the Sheltering Arms Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University, Picot was introduced to the exoskeleton—a wearable robotic device that would help him regain mobility. “I really got motivated and determined to just keep getting up using the XO every day I can and just getting comfortable being in it,” he said, reflecting on his journey.
Picot found inspiration in a video of another graduate crossing the stage with an exoskeleton and decided he wanted that to be his reality too. Eli Haag, a physical therapist at Sheltering Arms, praised Picot’s commitment.
“Graduating college is tough, and going through rehab after a spinal cord injury is no walk in the park. Doing both at the same time is impressive, and it really shows how hard he works and his overall work ethic,” Haag noted.
During his inpatient rehabilitation, Picot practiced with the exoskeleton every day, achieving an impressive maximum of 11,000 steps in just one hour. All that hard work paid off when he finally got to walk across the graduation stage.
“It’s one of the highlights of my career for sure, to be able to share this moment with him,” Haag said. “It’s something that I know I will remember for the rest of my life, and I hope he does as well.”
Motivated by his mom and girlfriend, Angel, who walked Virginia Union’s stage right before him, Picot is feeling positive about his future. “This is just a phase of my life. It’s not over. I do have the potential to walk again, so we’re just going to keep the ball rolling,” he said with a smile.
Jaiden Picot’s journey is a powerful reminder that with determination and the right support, anything is possible.