BOWIE, Md. — A happy ending, and a new beginning for a Bowie sanitation worker is helping us get uplifted! We first introduced you to Rehan Staton back in 2020. He is a remarkable young man who, with the loving support of family and the encouragement of coworkers, worked through school at the University of Maryland and then earned acceptance into Harvard Law School.
Now, three years later, Staton walked across the stage, graduating and fulfilling his dream and the dream of his family. His village of supporters included Harvard's janitorial support staff, who he build friendships with. Those friendships led him to create a nonprofit called The Reciprocity Effect, with the goal of building solidarity between students and staff at educational institutions.
Staton told the Harvard Gazette that the support from people around him drove him to succeed.
“Although I get credit for working hard, working hard was the easy part because that I could control,” Staton told the newspaper. “But I just happened to be around people who cared enough about me. I worked for a trash company, where my co-workers told me that I should go to college instead. I had a boss who let me leave work, go to school, and come back. I had a cousin who helped me study for the LSAT. My dad sacrificed a lot for me and my brother. I could keep going down this list. I got lucky, but I made the most of my luck.”
Rehan is now on his way to starting his next chapter at a New York law firm. We are sure the support staff there will find a kindred spirit in him.
We want to share things that uplifted you! If you have something you'd like to share, email us at GetUplifted@wusa9.com or contact Allison Seymour on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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