Stranger left napping graduate £100 after overhearing her financial worries

As recent graduate Ella Johannessen slept on a train, a stranger slipped £100 into a napkin and left it on her lap.

Like many graduates, the 23-year-old was feeling the financial pressures of life after university. The kind gift lifted her spirits and made her believe there are still “good people in the world.”

Speaking with the BBC, Johannessen explained she landed herself in debt during her final year studying at Leeds Beckett University.

She told the publication she quit her part-time job which was keeping her afloat in order to focus on her studies. As a result, her finances suffered significantly.

Student makes teary call to mum on train – then wakes from nap to kind gesture https://t.co/KqNAUDcrKw pic.twitter.com/YmHslW8rNX

— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) January 29, 2018

Johannessen called her mother while travelling on the train from Peterborough to her university city of Leeds.

“I spoke to her about how little money I had, how worried I was about my finances and I got upset,” she in a Facebook post.

After the phone call ended, she fell asleep in her seat for a while. When she woke up, she was surprised to see a napkin on her lap. Tucked inside was five £20 notes.

The graduate is now determined to track down the generous stranger.

“I would like to tell the person that they are a fantastic human being and it has really lifted my spirits and massively helped me out,” she wrote.

Johannessen claimed the money means she will narrowly avoid hitting her overdraft limit.

Ella Johannessen, a @VirginTrains passenger, wakes to find £100 gift from stranger after he/she overheard her telling her mum things were tough. Ella promises to #payitforward by volunteering at a local charity #girlpower @EllaJohannessen #MondayMotivation https://t.co/FJ66noMuEG

— Tg green tea #blacklivesmatter (@DrinkTg) January 29, 2018

“After a terrible 18 months where I lost my father and both of his parents it showed me that there is kindness and good people in the world.”

Johannessen said she will be “passing the kindness on” through charity work.

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