College Kid Goes Viral For Showing Up To Graduation Casually With His 5 Foot Long Pet Python

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Danielle Motley noticed something unusual at Texas Southern University’s graduation Saturday, and it was wrapped around one of the graduate’s arm.

The young man in those pictures is Denzel Young. He said the 3-year-old ball python is his pet, and that the snake takes him away from everything.

“When I did have my ups and downs with school, just having her around makes me feel the positivity,” said Young.

Young said everyone knew him on campus as the guy who always brought his snake, Persia, around.

“I told everybody this is my graduation, so I’m going to do what I want to do. So I’m going to bring it and that’s what I ended up doing,” he said.

The university says only service animals are allowed at graduation and that there’s no need to change the rules because Young must have had it under his gown and slipped past graduation officials.

“I really didn’t try to hide it,” Young said. “I just had it under my wrist. But you know the gown is kind of long so people technically didn’t see it unless I lifted up my sleeve for them to see it.”

Young told Eyewitness News he handed the snake off to his little brother right before his school was up to walk across the stage, so he didn’t have it when he actually received his diploma.

Some people bring beach balls. Some people write funny things on their hats. Some people bring flasks and get hammered while waiting for their name. Everyone has a graduation thing. Denzel Young’s is bringing his fucking python.

It’s cool though…it makes him feel positivity.  Don’t worry about your safety and general comfort, he needs his gigantic slithery snake to keep his spirits up.  Therapy dogs are for pussies.   Ball Pythons are the man’s way of conquering anxiety.

On that note who are these absolute psychopaths that were ok with this?

“I think Al Green was still up giving his speech and we were like ‘that’s a snake right there,'” Motley said. “He touched it, he pet it and we realized it was real then.”

She said the snake was the talk of her section, but eventually they let it go, but not before snapping a few pictures.

“Everybody was like meh, no use freaking out. We were packed in there like sardines at this graduation, so there was nowhere to run,” she said.

I know it’s not venomous.  I can read Wikipedia too.  I don’t give a shit.  It’s a fucking 3-5 foot snake.  Who wants to spend one of the best, proudest days of their life next to that thing flick flick flickering its disgusting snake tongue at you?  What if somebody had a phobia?  What if it got loose and wrapped itself around somebody’s neck and squeezed, or swallowed them whole like they do elephants and deer in all those nature videos I watch on YouTube?

I don’t know man, I’m not cut out for Texas.