Sometimes, human beings surprise us precisely because they are human. This is a story of overcoming obstacles, driven by someone who refused to give up in the face of a case that seemed bound to end in irremediable failure. It is the story of Abbie Rutledge, a young woman stopped by a police officer for speeding and who ended up graduating with a degree in nursing from the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital after a conversation with police officer J.T. Brown.
The young woman told the officer she couldn’t afford to pay a fine
“I think it was the right person, the right time, and the right words said,” Rutledge said two years later. The story begins when police officer J.T. Brown stops Abbie Rutledge’s car in Alabama. She was speeding, and the officer was going to fine her for violating the law. The young woman told the officer she couldn’t afford to pay a fine because she didn’t have any money or a job. “And I told her, I said, ‘Well, how about we talk about it then,'” Brown said.
The police officer simply decided he would listen to the young woman’s story, without judgment, simply trying to understand her situation. At that moment, Brown decided to talk to her about possible options for the girl to move forward. She could study, in order to find a secure job that would allow her to build a future. The conversation, according to both men, lasted no more than 10 or 15 minutes. It was enough time to change Abby’s life.
Their conclusion was that Rutledge would make a great nurse. From what they talked about, Brown thought it might be the profession that best suited her personality and needs. So Brown let her off with just a warning. And on it he wrote, “Promise me you’ll go to scrub or nursing school, and slow down, and I won’t give you a ticket.” And so they went their separate ways. What Brown never imagined was that the girl would do what he had suggested.
Brown thought it would be just another case
In any case, Brown has said she “never” imagined she would take it as seriously as she did. In this type of profession, police officers face very adverse situations and experience complex stories, so it’s understandable that Brown thought it would be just another case and that she would never hear from the young woman she ultimately didn’t issue the ticket to again.
Two years later, Rutledge graduated from the two-year surgical technology program at Bevill State Community College in Jasper, Alabama. “As soon as he left, and as soon as I got to where I was going, I started pushing myself toward that career,” Rutledge said. “And now I’m here.” It’s a story of overcoming hard work that has begun to be widely discussed on social media. Users are happy that a talk could have yielded significant results for Abby Rutledge’s future.
The young woman never forgot Brown, as his advice changed her life
The story is moving because of the police officer’s determination to instill some hope in the young woman, and also because of the young woman’s courage to heed his advice and trust that a promising future was possible for her, too. “I wanted him to see the impression he made on me,” Rutledge said. The young woman never forgot Brown, as his advice changed her life. “Five minutes talking to anybody, even if you don’t know them, can have the largest impact on their life, ever… You never know when it could happen,” said the now surgical technician.
Of course, this is a happy story amidst so much devastating news. Hope is not lost, and although human life now consists primarily of interacting through screens and social media, we are still human. These kinds of situations make us value conversations with friends, family, and even strangers even more. Abby now works as a surgical technician at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital. She says she loves her new job and gives full credit to Brown, who attended her graduation. The End.
