Thalles Winner DeSouza, a 23-year-old who moved to the U.S. from Brazil in 2016, is attending his first semester at Yale this fall. DeSouza worked at a Cape Cod Wendy’s, where he was promoted to shift manager, before his bosses, Usama El-Sehrawey and the late Ernest Smily, awarded him a scholarship to attend Cape Cod Community College.

A Life-Changing Opportunity

DeSouza’s scholarship changed his life, allowing him to complete three years at Cape Cod Community College and later transfer to Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. He got straight A’s, started a religious club, and became student body president. El-Sehrawey and Smily’s investment in DeSouza’s education has paid off, as he is now headed to Yale to study political science and human rights.

DeSouza reflected on how his community college scholarship changed his life in a July 28 Facebook post, thanking El-Sehrawey and the late Smily for believing in him. He wrote that what stood out to him is not what his former bosses built as franchise owners, but the way they invest in people. DeSouza’s story is a testament to the power of hard work and the impact that one person can have on someone’s life.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.