On the Oct. 4 edition of NBC’s “Ellen,” College Park, Maryland bus driver Reneita Smith talks about her newfound celebrity status after saving 20 elementary school children in September.
Last month, Atlanta Black Star reported that Smith discovered smoke coming from her bus after she heard strange noises.
“My bus started making noises. As it started making noises, on my dashboard, the brake light came on.”
At that moment, Smith pulled over and evacuated the passengers. In the clip, she tells Ellen that her harrowing rescue has changed her life. She flew on a plane for the first time and had numerous TV appearances. However, she insists that she just wanted to do the right thing and that being famous is unimportant.
“… Because everything happened so fast the neighbors jumped in and got the babies … I ran back into the bus to make sure that all of my babies were accounted for.”
Smith tells Ellen that one of her son’s friends commented on her rescue, calling her a hero. But her son said that his mother has always been a hero to him.
For her valiant effort, Ellen rewarded Smith $20,000 to alleviate any financial issues she may have.
