Wendy's worker heading to Yale after managers help him pay for school
A young man is going from working at a Wendy's restaurant toattending Yale University this fall, after his bosses at the restaurant chain saw his potential and helped fund his education.
"It changed my whole perspective about life and about what I could actually do because someone believed in me," Thalles De Souza told"Good Morning America"in an interview that aired Friday.
De Souza first started working at a Wendy's restaurant in Massachusetts to make ends meet during high school. He thought he would move on to other jobs afterward.
"I thought if I go to construction, I can work hard, make money and eventually go to college," De Souza said.
But De Souza's managers at Wendy's, Usama El-Sehrawey and Terry Smily, offered him another proposal.
"I said, OK, you need to work hard but if you stay with us at Wendy's, we will make sure you'll be able to go to college," El-Sehrawey said. "So just work hard and for every hour you work, we're gonna put money aside for your college education."
De Souza eventually earned enough money to fund his studies at Cape Cod Community College but he wasn't done with his education.
"We saw a bright future in him and so we wanted to help in any way we can," Smily said.
De Souza applied to college again and this fall, he is heading to Yale University in Connecticut.
De Souza shared anInstagram videoshowing his excitement when he learned he was accepted to the Ivy League school.
"I just couldn't control the emotions," De Souza recalled. "And it was worth it. Every single night that I slept at 3 in the morning to do homework, it was worth every second."
El-Sehrawey and Smily said De Souza's successes so far are all well-deserved.
"The work that he's done and he deserves everything," El-Sehrawey said.
Smily added, "This is his success story."
DeSouza said he plans on majoring in political science with a minor in human rights at Yale. He said he is aspiring to be a lawyer and potentially, a public servant.
