In a passionate attempt at glory, South Dakota resident Greg Tracey depleted every resource in his possession in order to appear on the popular news program “The Today Show” last Friday morning.

Following years of watching the regularly televised program, Tracey decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of standing behind Al Roker while waving his hands furiously to grab the cameraman’s attention, setting out early Wednesday morning to fulfill his dream.

“Something deep inside me was just telling me I had to do it,” Tracey explained to the press. “I knew it would take everything I had and more to get there, but I was willing to do anything.”

Tracey began his journey with only a half a tank of gas in his car, resorting to hitch-hiking to New York once his gas tank ran out just west of Yankton, South Dakota. Having finally reached Rockefeller Plaza late Thursday evening, Tracey spent the next twelve hours preparing for his big moment.

“I knew I needed to make myself stand out,” Tracey elaborated, “so I walked around town begging for enough money to buy a marker and poster board, then I just poured my mind and soul into it to make it camera-worthy.”

With Tracey having gone through all the money in his wallet as well as covering the entire surface of his poster with marker, Tracey then turned to a higher power to help him achieve his goal.

“All I could do was pray,” Tracey said. “I just prayed to God or the Buddha or whoever the hell is up there so I could just have this one dream come true.”

Tracey’s plea may have set the odds in his favor. During the broadcast, the cameraman passed over him just enough to show the bottom left corner of his poster before a cut to a commercial break.

“Phenomenal. That’s the only word I have for this moment,” Tracey exclaimed. “Now I just need to figure out how to get back to South Dakota. And whether I still have a job.”