Rehan Staton, a former garbage worker from Maryland, recently graduated from Harvard Law School, gaining nationwide recognition for his exceptional story. Growing up, Staton faced financial struggles and his education suffered when his mother left the family.
He was not accepted into college and instead took a job at Bates Trucking & Trash Removal to support his family. “I did so bad in school that no colleges took me at any level,” Staton told Fox News. It was there that he was encouraged to pursue higher education and eventually he got into Bowie State University.
“A lot of the folks at the sanitation company actually started referring to me as ‘smart’ and not a lot of folks have done that before,” while adding “They essentially said you should go to school.”
While in college, he worked as a janitor to pay for his education and heard stories from co-workers who were formerly incarcerated, which inspired him to think about the law and justice system.
Staton was ultimately accepted into Harvard Law School and co-founded The Reciprocity Effect, a non-profit organization that provides financial relief to those who work in janitorial services.
He recently held an awards ceremony to recognize those who may be overlooked, and raised $70,000 and over $100,000 in pledges to give them various financial support.
African American actor, filmmaker, and playwright Tyler Perry who is the founder of Tyler Perry Studios personally offered to pay for his law school education and Staton hopes to work as a corporate attorney with a focus on sports law after graduation.
