A garbage collector from Maryland has achieved his dream and been accepted to Harvard Law School, one of the most prestigious law schools in the world.
Rehan Staton, 24, had to come over adversity and rejection in his long battle to the top, including teachers who suggested that he be placed in special education.
Growing up in a single-parent family, his father had to work three jobs at a time to keep food on the table. Tragedy struck when a debilitating shoulder injury crushed Rehan's dream of becoming a professional boxer.
While his school grades were not great at first, it was work itself as a garbage collector, and the support of his colleagues that helped Rehan focus on his dreams. Forced to take the job after 12th grade to help support his family, he realised that without a sports career he would need to do extremely well in his SAT exams to make it into further education.
After high school I got rejected by every college I applied to, so i opted to work in the sanitation field to help my pops out.
— Rehan Staton (@RehanStaton) June 25, 2020
A chance to go to college came and My brother chose to drop out so I could go.
Years later... I got accepted to Harvard Law School.
I love you, bro pic.twitter.com/QNSoDHHsnq
He said that his colleagues, many of whom were former prison inmates, encouraged him consistently to never settle and to keep striving. He told CNN:
"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. I had to go to the 'bottom' of the social hierarchy – that's to say formerly incarcerated sanitation workers – in order to be uplifted. 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."
After achieving the exam results required, he made it to the University of Maryland, where he earned a 4.0 GPA before graduating in 2018. While attending the university, he continued to work as a garbage collector to pay his way and also managed to head up a series of university organisations.
"We have become more than our majors, we protest where we find injustice & we learn to value the voices of others. Even the voices we don't agree with." @RehanStaton, student speaker at @UofMaryland commencement #UMDgrad #UMD pic.twitter.com/xamw6hpFqM
— The Education Trust (@EdTrust) December 18, 2018
Graduating senior Rehan Staton overcame obstacles that might have derailed others, going from trash truck to the commencement stage as #UMD's winter student speaker #UMDgrad https://t.co/eN2miWeYql pic.twitter.com/kyoYdAUzuZ
— Univ. of Maryland (@UofMaryland) December 17, 2018
Staton then passed the LSAT after working with a political consultancy firm for a year. He is now Harvard bound and, no doubt, a lucrative career awaits him in the future.
It is through the hard-work shown to him by his coworkers in Maryland, that proved that determination can lead to success, even from the most difficult of situations.
His story is an inspiration to others who feel trapped and that their future may appear hopeless.
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