{"id":29718,"date":"2026-08-06T10:30:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T05:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=29718"},"modified":"2026-08-06T10:30:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T05:30:50","slug":"wendys-worker-thalles-desouza-accepted-into-yale-university-after-bosses-helped-fund-his-college-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=29718","title":{"rendered":"Wendy&#8217;s worker Thalles DeSouza accepted into Yale University after bosses helped fund his college dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F136611881.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>He\u2019s a true Winner.<\/p>\n<p>A Wendy\u2019s manager, who fled to the United States after he survived a shooting inside his own home and was pushed by his bosses to attend college, is heading to Yale on a full scholarship.<\/p>\n<p>Thalles Winner DeSouza credited the two owners of Wendy\u2019s locations in Cape Cod for investing in his education despite his telling them he wanted to escape the fast-food industry for better pay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour years ago, while I was working as a manager at Wendy\u2019s and finishing high school, Mr. Usama El-Sehrawey and the late Mr. Ernest Smily awarded me a scholarship to attend\u00a0Cape Cod Community College,\u201d DeSouza <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo\/?fbid=3735096666630884&amp;set=a.215173181956601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote on Facebook<\/a> on July 28. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Thalles Winner DeSouza with Terry Smily and Usama El-Sehrawey celebrating his acceptance to Yale outside the Wendy\u2019s he worked at in Cape Cod, Mass. <span class=\"credit\">Facebook\/Thalles W. DeSouza<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>DeSouza landed his gig at Wendy\u2019s as a teenager and was quickly promoted to shift manager when he was a junior in high school.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>A year later, DeSouza wanted to change jobs and head into construction for better pay so he could start saving up for school. <\/p>\n<p>DeSouza\u2019s bosses, who owns all seven Wendy\u2019s on Cape Cod and Plymouth, came up with a better idea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me that he would like to go and work in construction because there is more money in construction than Wendy\u2019s,\u201d El-Sehrawey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/food\/people\/former-wendys-manager-awarded-scholarship-going-to-yale-rcna590783\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told TODAY.com.<\/a> \u201cI said, \u2018If you stay at Wendy\u2019s, I will make sure you go to college.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the time, I had no idea how much that opportunity would change my life,\u201d DeSouza said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>DeSouza celebrates his acceptance into Yale University with his family in May 2026. <span class=\"credit\">Facebook\/Thalles W. DeSouza<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Thalles Winner DeSouza credited the two owners of Wendy\u2019s locations in Cape Cod for investing in his education despite his telling them he wanted to escape the fast-food industry for better pay. <span class=\"credit\">Facebook\/Thalles W. DeSouza<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>El-Sehrawey and Smily began setting aside extra money for every hour DeSouza worked at the restaurant, eventually collecting enough to pay for three years of tuition at Cape Cod Community College.<\/p>\n<p>While he attended the local school, DeSouza started a religious club on campus, earned straight As and served as the student body president for two years.<\/p>\n<p>DeSouza transferred to Bunker Hill Community College for a year before he applied to Yale University, which accepts roughly 2% of transfer students each year, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/yaledailynews.com\/articles\/anything-can-happen_evf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yale Daily News.<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>DeSouza was accepted into Yale in May, celebrating with his family in a joyful moment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1905511640164973\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">captured on video.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Raised by a single mother of four, DeSouza grew up in the crime-ridden Vila Kennedy favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, until he was 13, when he came to the US not knowing any English.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 2016, after being almost killed by a shooting inside my own home while I was sleeping, my mother decided to leave everything behind and come to the United States,\u201d DeSouza said.<\/p>\n<p>The community, which was designated an autonomous neighborhood in 2017, is terrorized by the Comando Vermelho gang that controls the drug trade in several favelas including Vila Kennedy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/police-raid-rio-de-janeiro-leaves-least-two-dead-cnn-brasil-reports-2025-11-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>DeSouza was accepted into Yale in May, celebrating with his family in a joyful moment captured on video. <span class=\"credit\">Facebook\/Thalles W. DeSouza<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A decade later, he was accepted into \u201cone of the most prestigious universities in the world\u201d with a full scholarship valued at over $194,500, or over 1 million Brazilian reais.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to reward him for being situated against the difficult odds,\u201d El-Sehrawey said. \u201cMoving here to America, trying to learn the language and at the same time study. He\u2019s done a lot of unbelievable stuff. A lot of young people have opportunities to do the same, and they would not take the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The incoming Bulldog credited his bosses for believing in him and giving him the chance to succeed while working at the fast-food chain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, Mr. Usama, the late Mr. Ernest Smily, Terry Smily, and the entire Smily family, for believing in me. Your generosity opened a door that changed my life, and I will always be grateful,\u201d  DeSouza said alongside a photo of himself with El-Sehrawey and Smily\u2019s son, Terry, holding up Yale t-shirts in front of a Wendy\u2019s sign.<\/p>\n<p>DeSouza says he will be majoring in political science with a minor in human rights as he plans to be on the pre-law track to become a lawyer. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes all it takes is one person who believes in you. I\u2019m living proof of that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He\u2019s a true Winner. A Wendy\u2019s manager, who fled to the United States after he survived a shooting inside his own home and was pushed by his bosses to attend college, is heading to Yale on a full scholarship. Thalles Winner DeSouza credited the two owners of Wendy\u2019s locations in Cape Cod for investing in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/136611881.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}