Cushing, who is not a student and has never been enrolled, crashed a university commencement in a rented cap and gown, joined the line of graduating students mid-ceremony, and successfully walked the stage when his improvised name — given to the announcer as ‘Maximus Strong’ — was read aloud to a cheering crowd. He paused for the official photo and accepted the blank diploma cover handed to all graduates. Rather than returning to his seat, he approached the podium and began addressing the audience, opening with ‘They said I’d never make it.’ He made it about three sentences into a speech about ‘perseverance’ and ‘the haters,’ thanked his mother (who was not present and reportedly does not know about any of this), thanked ‘the city of Columbus,’ and then attempted a backflip. Per security: ‘That’s when we moved in.’ Commenters noted his stage presence was ‘frankly better than most of the real graduates.’ The crowd, by all accounts, loved him.