- Our next guest is a student at Ball State University
in Indiana and so far his freshman year is off
to a pretty good start. Take a look.
- [indistinct], this is your shot for a free tuition.
It's up.
- Oh!
[cheers and applause]
- Please welcome Lem Turner.
You were at a pep rally when that happened, right?
- Yeah, I was at as pep rally. It was for, like,
it was, like, a welcome to all the freshmen at Ball State.
And actually when my roommate, Jake,
it was, I don't know that many people,
and so I'm, like, kind of, like, by his side, like,
just kind of hanging out with him, and so then
we're going to the pep rally, then, like, a staffer
kind of separates us up, I was like, "Oh, gosh."
I'm all by myself, so then he puts me in the front row,
and I kinda--immediately I'm, like, putting my head down
'cause, like, I'm in the front row in front of, like,
all these people, you know.
And so I'm just kind of put my head down,
don't want all the-- any attention,
then they say, "Okay, now we're gonna do
the half court shot for free tuition."
And my head's still down, I'm like, "Nope, nope.
I don't want to be chosen." So then--
- But for free tuition, you didn't decide,
"Maybe my head should be shown."
I mean, I don't, like, in front of all those people,
like, 1,000 kids I don't know 1,000 girls I haven't met,
so, you know, so my head's kinda down,
and I look up and I make eye contact
with one of the staffers, I was like, "Oh, he saw me."
And then he's like, "You. You want to go shoot
a half court shot for free tuition?"
I was like, "Yeah, sure, why not?"
So me and four other kids went down there.
- And then how many people did you hug out there?
- Everyone I could find pretty much.
I'm saying like, "Oh, my God, oh, my God."
- Yeah, yeah. There's that guy.
- The announcer, Charlie Cardinal,
President Ferguson. - Yeah.
- I hug him later. - That's amazing.
- My volleyball coach. Look at him.
- Yeah, because you play volleyball.
- Yeah. - Okay, so then you--
you tell your family, and I love this story,
tell what your family said and how you told your family.
- Well, I texted my parents 'cause my parents are deaf,
so I didn't call them, I texted my mom.
I said, "Mom, like, I just made a free half court shot
for free tuition." She said, "Stop joking."
Like, "No, you're lying." 'Cause I joke around
with my family a lot. I was like, "Okay, fine. I didn't."
So then, like, an hour later, she sees it on ESPN
on top ten plays, and then
she facetimes me, go, like, "Oh, my God.
You actually did make a shot for free tuition."
And she's, like, in tears.
And she was, like, really proud of me.
- Yeah. I bet. That's amazing.
Okay, so it covers your cost of your--it's free tuition, right?
- Yeah, first semester. - You must have been worried
about that. - Oh, yeah, a lot.
'Cause, I mean, I do have three brothers
and we're all very close in age, and so
sending four boys to college definitely takes it's toll
on the family. - Yeah.
- The job market for deaf parents, or deaf people,
aren't really--isn't that large, and so
having that kind weight on my shoulders it kinda tough.
I mean, I was still figuring out finances
with my family during that time,
and so when I made that half court shot,
it just took, like, a big weight off my shoulders.
- Yeah. - And my family's shoulders
as well. - For sure.
- Okay, I'm gonna give you
a chance to win something else, okay?
I'm gonna give you three shots to make a basket,
and you're gonna want to make the basket.
I'm not gonna tell you what you're gonna win,
but you'll want to. Let's go over here.
All right. - I get three shots?
- You get three shots to make it.
- Okay.
Oh, it's tough.
It's all right. You get two more.
- That was good height-- good height.
- Yeah. It was good.
[cheers and applause]
Oh. That's all right.
- Third time's a charm. - You get one--one more.
Yes! - Whoo!
Is that mine? - Yes.
No way. Oh, my God.
Oh, my.
Oh, my God.
No way. - That's your car.
- That's mine? - That's your car.
- Can I get in it? - Get in it.
- Oh. Oh.
- Uh-huh.
- All right. - Oh, my gosh.
- So this is--
this is a 2015 Ford Focus electric.
It is easy to operate, easy to charge.
It also needs zero gas, and zero oil changes.
Since it's national drive electric week,
our friends at Ford will be giving away a car a day
from their lineup of their plug-in hybrids
and all-electric vehicles and we'll be right back.