A college graduate who was working as a binman to support his family has bagged himself a place at Harvard Law School.
Rehan Staton, 24, from Bowie in Maryland, was waking up at 4am to go to work in order to help out his dad and brother. This led to him nearly giving up on education altogether.
But both Rehan's family and his co-workers at the Bates Trucking & Trash Removal sanitation company wouldn't let him go down without a fight and encouraged him not to give up on his dreams.
Therefore - later on this year, Rehan will go off to Harvard Law School, one of the most prestigious in the world.
Advert
Rehan told CNN that life was 'pretty normal' until his mum left his father and moved out of the country when he was around eight, leaving the household unstable and finances difficult as Rehan's dad attempted to raise two children alone.
The siblings had previously enjoyed a 'solidly middle class upbringing' and years at private school, but their lives turned 180 as they faced food insecurity - with their dad working two or three jobs as one time.
When Rehan reached 7th grade, his grades were beginning to significantly suffer as he told CNN: "I wasn't eating meals every day and my dad was working all the time. Sometimes there'd be no electricity at home."
Advert
When a teacher recommended he be placed in remedial classes at school, his father stepped in and an aerospace engineer offered to tutor him for free.
"I ended up getting on the Honor Roll the rest of that year," Rehan recalls. "The same teacher who suggested I be placed in special education actually wrote my dad an apology note."
After an injury prevented Rehan from fulfilling his dreams of becoming a professional boxer, he started working at the bin collection company.
He remembers: "It was the first time in my life people were lifting me up for the sake of lifting me up and not because I was good at sports."
Advert
His co-workers - who were mainly ex-convicts - ended up going to the company bosses to speak with them about Rehan. That's when the son of the owner - Brent Bates - took Rehan under his wing and helped get him a place at Bowie State University where he earned a 4.0 GPA (which represents 'perfect').
Rehan went on to become the president of organisations and by the time he finished his second year, he knew he wanted to go to law school. He transferred to the University of Maryland and graduated in 2018.
Over the following year, he worked in political consulting while studying for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) and was accepted to law schools at Harvard, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and Pepperdine.
He concluded saying: "When I look back at my experiences, I like to think that I made the best of the worst situation. Each tragedy I faced forced me out of my comfort zone, but I was fortunate enough to have a support system to help me thrive in those predicaments."
Advert
Go and show them how it's done, Rehan.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Rehan StatonTopics: Daily Ladness