STOCKTON, Calif. — For Stockton eighth grader Alexander Jackson, life moves on two wheels.
From his nearly 20-mile roundtrip commute to and from Christa McAuliffe Middle School to peddling around his Lodi neighborhood during his free time, Jackson relies on his bike for essential and non-essential travel every day.
It's what he took to get to school on Mar. 31, a day when the Advanced Orchestra President had to stay late for a music program fundraiser.
"We were doing a drive-thru dinner," said Jackson. "We gave people tickets prior to the event and they drove through and we gave them spaghetti and we had performances going on in the background."
By the time the music stopped and the last spaghetti noodles were served, Jackson went back to the school's bike cage where he double-locked his ride earlier in the day.
"The bike cage was already locked," said Jackson, whose mom was able to meet him at the school to pick him up instead. "We had to leave the bike here over the weekend and when we came back on that Monday, it had been stolen."
The discovery left the eighth grader with a range of emotions.
"Scared, stressed and really just mad," said Jackson.
That's when campus supervisor Roni Sterling stepped in.
"I was very upset because I understand he needs it to get to school," said Sterling. "I asked him to ask his mom if I could take him to go get a bike."
With his mom's approval, the two went to Walmart where Jackson picked out his new aqua-colored ride.
"My head just spun around a few times and I kind of didn't even know if I was still awake at that point," said Jackson. "I've been riding the bike to school this whole week. It's working out pretty well."
For Sterling, the decision to help the student was easy.
"I just feel like all the kids are like my family. You know, so I felt I needed to do something," said Sterling. "I believe we should give it back. I'm blessed to have what I have and I don't mind sharing."
When Jackson's mom shared the story on social media, she was met with an outpouring of support. Another community member also stepped up, offering to buy Jackson a second, backup bike.
As for who stole the teen's original bike, school officials aren't sure but reported the case to Stockton Police who are now investigating.
In light of the situation, Jackson's mom says the school will now alert people over an intercom before locking up the bike cages and will allow students to store bikes after hours inside the school's main office.
The ordeal left Jackson with not only two sets of brand-new wheels, but also an important life lesson learned via a kind gesture.
"There's always good humanity. There's always good people in the world," said Sterling. "Never give up, never stop, and put a smile on your face."
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