Wendy’s Owners Funded Employee’s College Dream, Now He’s Headed To Yale

It's a heartwarming story that will result in an elite education for one hardworking Wendy's employee whose caring employers helped to get him there.

Wendy's Worker Credits Bosses After He's Accepted Into Yale

Thalles Winner DeSouza is crediting his bosses at a Wendy's in Massachusetts for helping him achieve his dreams and experience an incredible education.

He's a Wendy's manager, who came to the United States after from Brazil surviving a horrifying shooting inside his own home. Now the 23-year-old will be be headed to the Ivy League at Yale University... on a FULL scholarship!

He credits two owners of a Wendy's location in Cape Code, MA for investing in his education.

“Four years ago, while I was working as a manager at Wendy’s and finishing high school, Mr. Usama El-Sehrawey and the late Mr. Ernest Smily awarded me a scholarship to attend Cape Cod Community College,” DeSouza wrote on Facebook a few days ago.

Wendy's Owners Commit to The Education For an Employee

When he was graudating from high school, DeSouza told Wedny's bosses that he would have to switch jobs to one outside of the food industry so he could save up for school expenses.

His bosses, however, had a different idea. They own seven Wendy's restaurants in the Cape Cod and Plymouth area, according to reports.

“I said, ‘If you stay at Wendy’s, I will make sure you go to college," one of those owners Usama El-Sehrawey told TODAY.com.

The business owners said they'd set aside extra money for him for every hour he worked. Once he was enrolled in college, they promised to pay his tuition directly.

“I wanted to reward him for being situated against the difficult odds,” El-Sehrawey said in an interview. 

Winner DeSouza worked super hard. He completed three years at Cape Cod Community college, getting straight A's and becoming the student body president.

And that hard work has paid off. He'll now transfer to Yale with a full scholarship.

And part of the beautiful story is how humble the store owners truly are. In fact, El-Sehrawey was clear that DeSouza's hard work allowed him to advance.

“I was a small tool to help direct him a little bit and to encourage him,” he says.

That opportunity, of course, changed his life forever, but there's plenty of local stories like this too at Wendy's locations throughout our area.

Wendy's in New Jersey Commits to the Community

Meanwhile, here in New Jersey, Wendy's restaurants regularly support our community throughout the state.

They support...

Local school and youth programs. We have found they support the LVR boys Basketball Boosters in Flanders, NJ in recent years.

Plus, they've supported youth athletic organizations like the South Jersey Fire Allstars in Sicklerville in recent years.

And they're friends to New Jersey's pets and animals. In recent months they've organized benefits for Village Trappers in Vineland, which helps provide spaying, neutering and vaccinations.

And that is just some of the great stuff Wendy's does to support our community.