Tyler Greene, of Paulding, had just completed summer classes at Harvard University in Massachusetts when he leaped into the Charles River to celebrate the end of summer school.
Taking a dip in the Charles River is a summertime ritual for Harvard students. But the computer programming major didn’t know how to swim.
After leaping into the water, Greene disappeared under the murky surface of the water and drowned.
His mother, Leonie Grant, told WSB-TV that her son probably misjudged the river’s depth when he followed other students into the water.
“He did not realize that the water was actually that deep,” Grant said.
Greene, who graduated from East Paulding High School in May, was eager to return home to his mother and sister.
When he wasn’t hitting the books he worked to help support his single mom and younger sister.
“He has gone above and beyond to help me with his sister,” Grant told Channel 2 News.
“Tyler was a kindhearted person,” Grant said. “He was a caring person, and even in death, because he was an organ donor. He’s still giving.”
Grant said she is thankful that her son’s kindness and generosity will live on in others.
