Chelsea Whitfield's stumble and injury went viral after the college senior broke her foot during a graduation photo shoot. 

VALDOSTA, Ga. — In recent years, Valdosta, Georgia has been connected to its fair share of “viral” media moments. However, one young woman is putting the South Georgia city on the viral map for a comical reason.

Chelsea Whitfield, a Douglas, Georgia native, moved to the city in 2012 to attend Valdosta State University (VSU).

In May, she will graduate with her bachelor’s in business management with a minor in human resource management.

Whitfield, like hundreds of thousands of students across the country, scheduled a graduation photo shoot to commemorate the achievement.

“I’d been preparing and so excited for this shoot for weeks,” she said. “I’m not really into making a huge deal out of my graduation, but taking pictures to send out to people who cared about my future and where I am going seemed like a good idea and a great way to reconnect with old friends.”

Whitfield chose friend Caitlin Ogden of the area’s Caitlin Nash Photography as her photographer for the special occasion.

The duo made their way to the front of the university’s fountain, a popular location for graduation photos on campus.

“About the third pose in, Caitlin wanted me to attempt the jump and toss the cap pose,” Whitfield said. “After the second try, it was a miserable fail. You can see in the picture I was bound to land directly on my left foot at a very awkward angle.”

In true survivor fashion, Whitfield fought back tears as the determination to finish the photos took hold.

However, due to instant foot swelling and growing pain, Whitfield could no longer stand it.

VSU campus police ended up checking on Whitfield’s condition and gave Ogden permission to drive through the front lawn to pick Whitfield up and get her home.

“Caitlin and I couldn’t stop laughing,” Whitfield said. “She is so hilarious and my own personal silver lining. I couldn’t imagine how awkward if would have been with a photographer who wasn’t a dear friend.”

Returning home, photos were taken of Whitfield with a champagne bottle (filled with water) and comfy clothes.

A doctor visit revealed that Whitfield had broken her foot. Ogden continued to document the entire experience, which led to the photos taking on a viral life of their own.

Whitfield’s boyfriend, Cole Ahnberg, posted the photos on Reddit, which then snowballed into stories on such big-name sites as Buzzfeed and Distractify and led to millions of views.

“The reason why I think this series of photos went viral was because of how relatable they are,” Whitfield said. “I’m a normal person doing a superwoman pose and sometimes the cookie just has to crumble. People enjoy other people who don’t take life seriously.”

Whitfield, who is a server at a local bar and grill, added that those at her job as well as those closest to her have been supportive through her injury.

“Cole hooked me up with an awesome knee scooter from Amerimed Pharmacy, which is where he works,” Whitfield said. “It’s got an awesome basket and I’d love to throw some rims on it. I can’t work for three weeks, so I’ll be sitting with my foot propped up spending ample amounts of quality time with my dog, Joey, learning how to knit a bikini and, of course, working on my resume.”

Carver writes for the Valdosta, Georgia Daily Times.