Student who finished college by collecting garbage, now in Harvard Law School
Rehan Staton, 18, collected garbage to support his studies, and he finally finished his college degree. Now, he got admitted to Harvard Law School.
The 18-year-old boy was frustrated and exhausted as he supported his father and brother by working. He suffered financial issues, a major sports injury, and an illness after graduating high school. He worked at the Bates Trucking & Trash Removal sanitation company. His family and his colleagues know that he is not one who easily gives up. After graduating from college, he is heading to Harvard Law School in fall.
Life changed after his mom left
Born and raised in Bowie, Maryland, Rehan said that his life was pretty normal until he was eight. It was until his mom moved to another country, leaving his dad behind. The previous stable life financially faced difficulties when his dad had to raise his two sons alone.
Rehan and his brother faced food insecurity as their father tried to earn enough to pay bills. The two boys studied in a private school before and used to have a "solidly middle-class upbringing." The three had to rely on themselves because their extended family excluded them.
Rehan's schooling got affected when he was in his 7th grade due to the pressure of difficulties at home. He did not eat every day, and his dad was working all the time. He said that sometimes they have no electricity at home.
Rehan got free tutoring
Despite all the problems, Rehan found comfort in sports, martial arts, and boxing. When a teacher recommended he take remedial classes, his dad stepped in. An aerospace engineer offered to tutor him for free. Rehan recalled getting in honor roll for the rest of that year.
He continued to improve in school as he trained to be a professional boxer. Sadly, in 12th grade, he suffered a double shoulder injury. He tried to enroll in colleges, but he always got rejected, so he worked as a garbage man.
He entered Bowie State University
His co-workers were asking why he was there with them instead of studying. Then one of them talked to the son of the company owner, and he took him to Bowie State University to meet a professor. The professor was impressed with his talk with Rehan, so he appealed to the admissions board. Later that year, the 18-year-old teen began undergrad and got a 4.0 GPA. By the end of his second year, he decided to go to Harvard Law.
He said that he was grateful to all the people who helped him see his potential. He said that he had to go to the "bottom" of social hierarchy to get back up. Rehan's brother, Reggie, was studying his second year, but he dropped out to return to work so he could support his family.
After studying for two years at Bowie State University, Rehan transferred to the University of Maryland. In 2018, he graduated and worked as a political consultant the following year while studying for the LSAT. Law schools at Harvard, Columbia, Pepperdine, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California accepted him this Spring.
Rehan looks back at his experiences and believes that he took the best out of the worst situations. Tragedies forced him out of his comfort zone. He said that he was lucky enough to have a support system to help him get through each problem. This fall, Rehan will begin his Harvard Law School classes online.
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