Thalles
Wi e
DeSouza
with
Te y
Smily
a d
Usama
El-Seh awey
celeb ati g
his
accepta ce
i to
Yale
A
We dy’s
wo ke
who
su vived
a
shooti g
i
B azil
is
headi g
to
Yale
U ive sity
afte
his
bosses
helped
him
pay
fo
college.Thalles
Wi e
DeSouza,
23,
had
sta ted
wo ki g
at
a
We dy’s
estau a t
i
Cape
Cod,
Massachusetts,
while
he
was
still
i
high
school.
As
pe
his
Facebook
post,
his
pla s
at
the
time
we e
focused
o
ea i g
mo ey,
a d
he
had
co side ed
leavi g
We dy’s
fo
co st uctio
wo k.It
was
the
whe
his
bosses,
Usama
El-Seh awey
a d
the
late
E est
Smily,
e cou aged
him
to
stay
a d
co ti ue
his
educatio .
They
eve tually
helped
fu d
his
studies
at
Cape
Cod
Commu ity
College,
a
oppo tu ity
DeSouza
says
cha ged
the
di ectio
of
his
life.Fou
yea s
afte
eceivi g
that
suppo t,
DeSouza
has
bee
accepted
i to
Yale
U ive sity.
He
sha ed
his
jou ey
i
a
o li e
post
o
July
28,
tha ki g
the
people
who
had
suppo ted
him
a d
sayi g
thei
ge e osity
had
ope ed
a
doo
that
cha ged
his
life.
F om
B azil
to
the
US
DeSouza’s
jou ey
to
the
US
bega
afte
a
shooti g
i
B azil.
I
2016,
whe
he
was
a
tee age ,
he
su vived
a
shooti g
i side
his
home
while
he
was
sleepi g.“I
2016,
afte
ea ly
bei g
killed
by
a
shooti g
i side
my
ow
home
while
I
was
sleepi g,
my
mothe
decided
to
d op
eve ythi g
a d
come
to
the
U ited
States,”
he
w ote
i
the
captio
of
a
I stag am
video
showi g
the
mome t
he
eceived
his
Yale
accepta ce.
DeSouza
was
aised
by
a
si gle
mothe
of
fou
i
Vila
Ke edy,
a
favela
i
Rio
de
Ja ei o,
B azil.
He
came
to
the
US
at
the
age
of
13
a d
did
ot
k ow
a y
E glish
at
the
time.Afte
movi g
to
the
US,
DeSouza
co ti ued
his
educatio
while
also
wo ki g.
His
job
at
We dy’s
became
a
impo ta t
pa t
of
that
jou ey.He
joi ed
the
fast-food
chai
as
a
tee age
a d
was
p omoted
to
shift
ma age
while
still
i
high
school.
But
afte
some
time,
he
wa ted
to
leave
the
estau a t
a d
fi d
wo k
i
co st uctio
because
he
believed
it
would
offe
bette
pay
a d
help
him
save
mo ey
fo
college.
That
was
whe
his
bosses
stepped
i
with
a othe
optio .
We dy’s
bosses
pays
fo
college
El-Seh awey
told
TODAY
that
DeSouza
had
pla ed
to
move
i to
co st uctio
because
he
could
ea
mo e
mo ey
the e.
“He
told
me
that
he
would
like
to
go
a d
wo k
i
co st uctio
because
the e
is
mo e
mo ey
i
co st uctio
tha
We dy’s,”
El-Seh awey
said.
“I
said,
‘If
you
stay
at
We dy’s,
I
will
make
su e
you
go
to
college.’”El-Seh awey
a d
Smily
the
bega
setti g
aside
ext a
mo ey
fo
each
hou
DeSouza
wo ked
at
the
estau a t.
The
mo ey
eve tually
became
e ough
to
cove
th ee
yea s
of
tuitio
at
Cape
Cod
Commu ity
College.DeSouza
had
al eady
bee
wo ki g
as
a
ma age
a d
fi ishi g
high
school
whe
the
two
me
awa ded
him
the
schola ship.“Fou
yea s
ago,
while
I
was
wo ki g
as
a
ma age
at
We dy’s
a d
fi ishi g
high
school,
M
Usama
El-Seh awey
a d
the
late
M .
E est
Smily
awa ded
me
a
schola ship
to
atte d
Cape
Cod
Commu ity
College,”
DeSouza
w ote
i
his
post.
“At
the
time,
I
had
o
idea
how
much
that
oppo tu ity
would
cha ge
my
life.”His
time
at
the
commu ity
college
became
mo e
tha
just
a
way
to
co ti ue
his
educatio .
DeSouza
sta ted
a
eligious
club
o
campus,
ea ed
st aight
As
a d
se ved
as
stude t
body
p eside t
fo
two
yea s.Afte
spe di g
th ee
yea s
at
Cape
Cod
Commu ity
College,
he
t a sfe ed
to
Bu ke
Hill
Commu ity
College,
whe e
he
studied
fo
a othe
yea .
He
the
applied
to
Yale
U ive sity.
Yale
accepta ce
a ived
DeSouza
fou d
out
that
Yale
had
accepted
him
i
May
2026.
He
celeb ated
the
ews
with
his
family,
with
the
mome t
captu ed
o
video.The
accepta ce
ma ked
a
majo
cha ge
f om
whe e
he
had
sta ted.
He
had
moved
to
the
US
afte
su vivi g
a
shooti g,
lea ed
E glish
a d
wo ked
while
pu sui g
his
educatio .
His
bosses
at
We dy’s
had
also
co ti ued
to
suppo t
his
studies.DeSouza
eceived
a
full
schola ship
to
Yale
valued
at
mo e
tha
$194,500,
o
mo e
tha
1
millio
B azilia
eais.El-Seh awey
said
he
wa ted
to
ewa d
DeSouza
fo
co ti ui g
to
wo k
towa ds
his
goals
despite
the
difficulties
he
had
faced.
“Movi g
he e
to
Ame ica,
t yi g
to
lea
the
la guage
a d
at
the
same
time
study.
He’s
do e
a
lot
of
u believable
stuff.
A
lot
of
you g
people
have
oppo tu ities
to
do
the
same,
a d
they
would
ot
take
the
oppo tu ity.”DeSouza
has
c edited
his
bosses
fo
seei g
pote tial
i
him
whe
he
was
still
wo ki g
at
We dy’s
a d
helpi g
him
take
the
ext
step
i
his
educatio .I
his
post,
he
said
the
suppo t
he
eceived
matte ed
mo e
to
him
tha
what
his
bosses
had
built
as
busi ess
ow e s.
“What
has
always
stood
out
to
me
is
ot
what
they
built
as
busi ess
ow e s.
It’s
the
way
they
i vest
i
people,”
he
w ote.“Tha k
you
fo
believi g
i
me.
You
ge e osity
ope ed
a
doo
that
cha ged
my
life,
a d
I
will
always
be
g ateful.
Sometimes
all
it
takes
is
o e
pe so
who
believes
i
you.
I’m
livi g
p oof
of
that,”
he
added.DeSouza
will
begi
classes
at
Yale
i
the
fall.
He
pla s
to
majo
i
political
scie ce
a d
mi o
i
huma
ights.
He
also
i te ds
to
follow
a
p e-law
t ack
because
he
wa ts
to
atte d
law
school
a d
become
a
lawye .
“I’ll
be
majo i g
i
political
scie ce,
a d
my
mi o
will
be
huma
ights,”
DeSouza
told
Today.A d
as
he
p epa es
to
begi
his
studies,
DeSouza
says
the
lesso
f om
his
jou ey
is
simple-
“Sometimes
all
it
takes
is
o e
pe so
who
believes
i
you.
I’m
livi g
p oof
of
that.”
