Dad Sobs Over Daughter's Academic Awards in Viral Video: 'Never Thought That Could Come from Me' (Exclusive)

Ralmon McAfee celebrated his high-achieving 11-year-old online with an emotional video

• Ralmon McAfee moved thousands of TikTok and Instagram viewers with his emotional video sharing his daughter's high achievements

• The proud dad recorded himself crying after watching his 11-year-old receive five academic awards at her 5th grade graduation

• McAfee spoke to PEOPLE about his daughter's many successes and why he decided to document his vulnerable moment online

Ralmon McAfee isn't afraid to show his emotions when sharing his daughter's big wins.

The proud dad got real with his social media followers after attending 11-year-old Ma'Kynzeigh's 5th grade graduation this May, where she received several impressive achievement awards. McAfee shed some joyful tears on camera in reaction to his tween daughter's academic success.

"Call me soft, call me what y'all want, but I never expected my child to receive four awards," the content creator — who posts on TikTok as "Mr. Review" — said in his video, which has earned over 680,000 likes on TikTok and 16,800 likes on Instagram.

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"I've never been [an] academic student. I've never reached those heights before," McAfee continued. "Call me weak, call me lame, but I'm crying because I never thought that could come from me, and I'm proud of my daughter ... Of course I couldn't cry in front of her face, but I'm proud."

McAfee tells PEOPLE that he doesn't usually think to record himself during such types of private moments, but he was looking toward the future when he decided to document it.

"I was like, 'One day I'm going to need to show my daughter this, but I don't have it in me to do it in front of her yet,' " says McAfee, who did eventually show the video to Ma'Kynzeigh once it went viral.

"Surprisingly, she was actually almost red in the face," the Houston-based dad says of his daughter's reaction. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't know I had that much of an effect on you. You always play so tough in front of me.' "

While he wasn't entirely successful in hiding his big feeling from Ma'Kynzeigh, McAfee says he managed to keep his tears at bay during the actual ceremony. His emotions finally overflowed after the event, when he called his own mom to detail Ma'Kynzeigh's winning sweep.

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"You know how you get the trembling voice? I said, 'You know what, I'm going to call you back. I got to get this out.' I started wailing like a big old baby," says McAfee, who co-runs daycare Clever Kiddos with his wife.

Caught up in his tearful pride, McAfee says he actually misrepresented the extent of Ma'Kynzeigh's achievement in his video. She actually received five accolades, one more than he stated on social media. The soon-to-be middler schooler took home a certificate of completion, a place on the honor roll, a leadership award, a musical award and a hard worker award.

McAfee has plenty to be proud of beyond the classroom too. He says his daughter wants to become an obstetrician when she grows up, but for now, she's tapping into her entrepreneurial spirit and launching a beaded bracelet business she's calling Marvelous Makings.

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Social media users echoed McAfee's excitement, sharing their congratulations in the comments on his video. Many viewers also applauded his vulnerability and strong parenting skills, but McAfee was especially moved by the more personal responses to his clip.

"What shocked me was how many people it touched that lost their fathers. It brought back so many good memories for them ... Some people say it healed childhood trauma. Some people [were] saying it is therapeutic. I just never knew," the viral dad tells PEOPLE.

He continues, "You never know until something like this happens that the world needed it, and I guess that's what the world needed at the moment."

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