Special needs student from Oak Lawn surprised with Taylor Swift tickets

OAK LAWN, Ill. (WLS) -- Gabby Meza is having a great end to her 8th grade year at Simmons Middle school in Oak Lawn.

While there's typically an assembly on the last day, what Meza doesn't know is that she's getting a big surprise - and it has to do with a class project she worked on that went viral.

Meza is a big fan of Taylor Swift, so she wanted to make a video of her dancing to Swift's song, "Shake it Off."

Gabby, a special needs student, was helped by her aide, who shot the video on an iPad. They included staff and other students.

"We love to dance by the way. All we did was shake it off for weeks," said Fay Hamidh, Meza's aide.

Once the video was completed, it was tweeted by one of Meza's teachers.

"It's been such a great thing to see not only her but all the other students interact and have fun - and I think it speaks to the community and the culture of our school," said Stephanie Norkus, Meza's teacher.

Two days later, the video caught the eye of Chicago-based ticket company Rateyourseats.com. They contacted the school and hatched a plan to present Meza with two tickets to the Taylor Swift concert this Saturday at Soldier Field.

"We saw Gabby's video on Twitter and we're so happy we could give her these Taylor Swift tickets," said Angie Liti, Rateyourseats.com.

Gabby's video was played during Wednesday's assembly, and then came her gift. The gesture moved her to tears.

It was a great sendoff before she starts her new chapter in high school next year.

"I think she's really excited. This is the perfect end to her 8th grade year," said Susana Meza, Gabby's sister.