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A Teenager's Petition Asking His School To Let Him Use This Laser Cat Yearbook Photo Went Viral

Here is the inspiring story of Draven Rodriguez and his cat Mr. Bugglesworth.

Draven Rodriguez is a senior at Schenectady High School in New York, and he recently decided to take his own yearbook photos, featuring his cat, Mr. Bugglesworth.

Rodriguez then pre-emptively made an online petition asking his school to let him use one of his laser cat pictures as his yearbook photo.

Rodriguez wrote on the petition that he wanted to get as much support as possible before the Sept. 15 deadline.

Hi all. This is my photo that should be going into the yearbook, but we know how finicky the school systems can be. I'm hoping that with enough signatures, my school simply can't turn this down.

Edit: To clarify, the school HAS NOT YET DECLINED this photo. This is my pre-emptive strike just in case such a thing were to happen. I wanted as many backers as possible before the deadline of September 15th.

"It all started as a normal portrait shoot," Rodriguez's photographer Vincent Giodano told BuzzFeed. "Draven said he would like to go for something different, something that expressed who he was, his uniqueness."

As Rodriguez's photos spread around the internet, his school was forced to respond. A spokesperson for the high school said the photos couldn't be his official photo, but could be included in the yearbook.

Rodriguez did take a backup portrait just in case his school wouldn't bend to the will of the internet. It's a normal photo, but he's wearing a pin on his lapel that has Mr. Bugglesworth's face on it.

Rodriguez's principal Diane Wilkinson asked Rodriguez if he wanted to make a new laser cat photo. Wilkinson also owns a rescue cat and she suggested the two of them pose with their cats for a new photo that would go in the yearbook. Rodriguez agreed and they're taking the new photo sometime in the next two weeks.

I don't know about you, but I'm really excited to see the new photo.