Thalles De Souza began working at a Wendy’s restaurant in Cape Cod with dreams of going to college. His employers saw his potential. When Thalles said he wanted to quit his job to work in construction to fund his higher education, Usama El-Sehrawey and Terry Smily decided to help. They convinced him to stay and offered to put money away for his tuition.
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“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.”
Thalles De Souza Had Big Dreams of Attending Yale
Thalles De Souza spent three years attending community college with the funds his bosses helped him to save. Yale University accepted him just ten years after arriving in the United States from Brazil. He cannot wait to see what the future holds,” he shared on Instagram.
“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!”
Thalles De Souza told NewsNation he wants to go to law school and become a public servant in Massachusetts. He hopes to give back to the community that has served him so well. “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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