The story of a young man named Rehan Staton is a story of not giving up and working hard to make your dreams come true.
When he was just eight years old, Rehan’s mom abandoned him and his brother so his dad was left to raise his boys on his own. He was forced to work three jobs in order to be able to put food on the table.
Speaking to NBC News of that period of his life, Rehan said: “We went through extreme poverty, there were times when we just couldn’t eat.”
However, no matter the circumstances and the number of obstacles, Rehan never gave up his dream of graduating high school and attending college. In fact, he worked as a sanitation worker along with his brother to be able to continue with his education.
“When you’re out in the street and you see a dumpster that looks really bad, I’m the guy who’s going to make it look very good,” he told NBC News.
In order for Rehan to be able to study, his brother dropped out of college. “The thing about my brother, he literally picked a profession where people looked down on him so that others could look up to me, and he knew that,” Rehan said.
Many times, he was forced to go to classes right after finishing work so he didn’t even have the time to take a shower. “I would have to sit on the side of class and try not to bother anybody with my scent that day.”
Luckily, the hard work paid off and Rehan got accepted into Harvard Law School.
In his graduation speech, this dedicated young man said: “And as Terps, we are champions because we pick each other up. The only reason that I made it to where I’m at is because people helped me out of the kindness of their heart.”
Rehan is thankful to everyone who believed in him and is planning to pay that kindness forward by offering free tutoring classes to struggling students.
Congratulations, Rehan. We wish you success in the years to come.