Generous couple leaves waitress huge tip so she can pay off student loans

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(Image credit: FRED TANNEAU/AFP/GettyImages)

A Hawaiian waitress is debt-free, thanks to some very generous customers. Cayla Chandara, 22, was chatting with an Australian couple at the Waikiki restaurant where she works when she mentioned how money problems had forced her to drop out of college. Touched by her story, the vacationers gave her a $400 tip. Chandara left a thank-you note and flowers at the couple's hotel, and the pair returned to her restaurant the following day with an even more generous gift: $10,000 to pay off her student loans. "I will take this opportunity with an open heart," says Chandara, who now plans to go back to college.

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Christina Colizza

Christina Colizza is chief researcher and writer at The Week magazine.