Douglas Mills, an 18-year-old vocal student, got the surprise of a lifetime when ABC13's Samica Knight, who graduated from the school, showed up to his class on Monday.
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Mills thought he would just be leading a tour for the news crew to record video of his school.
But it turned out, Samica was there to present him with a silver American Idol ticket, and a chance to audition for some of the top producers of the show.
Mills had his audition on Thursday and received a resounding yes to move on to the next round, where he's expected to audition for the Idol judges in Austin in early October.
Mills came highly recommended by his music teachers because of his talent, dedication and determination after persevering through multiple surgeries throughout high school.
"I have a longer leg," said Mills. "This one is longer than this one, and I had a halo on it for like nine months, so six needles going straight into my knee."
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His mother said the surgery led to Mills being in a wheelchair for eight months.
Still, that hasn't stopped Mills from sharing his voice with the world. When he was surprised with his ticket, he was speechless.
You can see the heartwarming moment Mills was surprised with his silver ticket in the video player above.
We're rooting for you, Douglas!
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