Crossing the stage to receive a college diploma is a big moment for many. But for one California student, the diploma wasn't the biggest accomplishment -- it was walking across the stage to get it.

Four years ago, Austin Whitney was in a car accident that left him paralyzed. He had been drinking and driving.

"After my car accident, I laid in a hospital bed and was so consumed with hatred for myself. I put my family and everyone I knew through so much pain, all for nothing. I said, 'Austin, you have to find some meaning in this accident,'" Whitney recalled.

So Whitney decided to turn his focus to his education. He attended UC Berkley, where he learned of a research team working on something known as an exo-skeleton, a robotic device designed to help people walk.

Whitney was fitted with the bionic leg braces in time for his graduation.

"If somebody told me four years ago I would have never believed them in a million years. And here I am about to do that and walk across the stage," he said.

As Whitney walked across the stage to receive his degree, thousands of people attending the commencement cheered.