A Cape Cod Wendy’s job turned into a path to Yale for Thalles De Souza.
De Souza began working at the restaurant with plans to go to college. When he told his employers he wanted to quit and work in construction to pay for higher education, Usama El-Sehrawey and Terry Smily asked him to stay and offered to set money aside for tuition.
“We’ve been in the Wendy’s system for a long time, for 40 years, and over the years, we’ve had some very, some wonderful employees that we’ve always wanted,” Terry told NewsNation. “We’ve always helped our employees when they needed help. And so it was a great opportunity to provide an opportunity to this young man who was going places.”
De Souza spent three years in community college using the money his bosses helped him save. Ten years after arriving in the United States from Brazil, he was accepted to Yale University.
“I have been accepted to Yale University (@yale), one of the most prestigious universities in the world! I received a full scholarship valued at over 1 million reais,” he shared on social media.
“If there is one thing I hope people take away from my story, it is this: the favela was born to win, too. Where you come from does not determine where you can go. And sometimes, the most impossible journeys lead us to places we never imagined we could reach. All glory to Jesus!”
De Souza told NewsNation he wants to attend law school and become a public servant in Massachusetts.
“I love this country, and I see myself as someone who can make a major impact in the world,” he said. “I’m hoping that I can just be a public figure, someone who can give back to the community. So that’s my goal. I think that’s actually my life mission: to build something that was given to me so I can give to the next generation.”
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