Being the new kid at school is never easy, especially when you look a little different than everyone else. Apart from being nervous about not knowing anyone at Henderson High School in Tennessee, 15-year-old Sergio Peralta was concerned that people would mock him because of his limb difference. Sergio’s right hand did not fully develop at birth.

His classmates turned out to be far more accepting than he had imagined. In fact, when Sergio’s hand was noticed by the school’s engineering teacher, he suggested that the students in his class might be able to assist him. Because the school has online modeling software and a 3D printer, the teacher proposed a real-world application that would benefit both the students and Sergio.

Several engineering students jumped right into creating a prosthetic for their new classmate.”They ended up offering me, like, ‘We could build your prosthetic hand,’ and I never expected it,” Sergio explained. “Like, never, ever in a million years.” Students collaborated with Sergio to perfect the prosthetic, and when it was completed, it exceeded all expectations.

Sergio could now catch a baseball with his right hand for the first time in his life.”When I caught it for the first time, everyone started freaking out because it was the first time I caught a ball in my right hand in 15 years,” the teen recalled. Sergio felt something more powerful than the practicality of having a useful prosthetic: he fit in.

Instead of being mocked for his differences, he was celebrated and helped. What a welcoming atmosphere! Sergio has made lifelong friends in these helpful students. Don’t you think it’s wonderful to see young people who are accepting and willing to help others?