Free College For Chewbacca Mom, Family (Video)

LAKELAND, FL — The Texas woman who gained overnight fame by donning a Chewbacca mask and erupting into fits of peeling laughter on video may be pulling up roots for a move to the Sunshine State.

Overwhelmed by Candace Payne’s video, Dr. Kent Ingle, president of Lakeland’s Southeastern University, has offered Payne, her husband and children tuition-free scholarships.

“Candace has inspired us and others with her joy, and we want her and her family to experience some of that same joy through this gift,” Ingle explained on the university’s website.

It seems Payne and her family have been visiting Florida this week from their home in Grand Prairie, Texas. They visited the Christian-based university in Lakeland on Monday, but didn’t know about the scholarships until after they arrived.

Payne, better known as “Chewbacca Mom,” was catapulted into the spotlight after she posted a video to Facebook on May 19 of her trying on a Chewbacca mask with a movable mouth and wookiee sounds. That video was viewed more than 20 million times before the "Star Wars" fan woke up the next morning.

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As those views climbed past 150 million, “Chewbacca Mom” became a household name. Her presence has since been requested by late-night talk show hosts, Facebook officials and others.

Payne has a hometown connection to the Lakeland school. It seems Justin Lathrop, Southeastern’s vice president of strategic partnership, is the founder and former leader of the school attached to Payne’s home church, The Oaks Fellowship in Red Oaks.

As for her tour of the Lakeland campus, it was initially headed up by Scorch, the school’s mascot. Unable to understand the mask-wearing mascot, the tour didn't seem to be going so well until Payne pulled out that now famous Chewbacca mask.

About that time, Ingle jumped aboard the golf cart for a ride around the campus. He, of course, had to try on the mask, too.

“I’ve always wanted to be a happy Chewbacca president,” Ingle said in a video released of Payne’s tour.

He made the scholarship announcement on video while promising the news he had to share would turn her ride around the campus into "the best campus tour ever."

It seems he was successful.

“This is such an amazing gift for our family, I’m blown away,” Payne said. “I mean, my kids’ college is paid for.”

Just how soon the Paynes might take Ingle up on the scholarship offer remains unclear.

Screenshot and video courtesy of Southeastern University’s YouTube page