A former Wendy’s manager is heading to Yale University this fall after years of balancing work, school and ambitious academic goals.

Thalles De Souza, who worked as a manager at Wendy’s on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, shared the news that he will attend Yale after receiving support from the business owners who had previously helped him begin his college education. De Souza said the opportunity began with a scholarship that helped him attend Cape Cod Community College.

Now, four years after that first scholarship, De Souza is preparing to take the next step at one of America’s most prestigious universities.

A Scholarship That Changed His Path

De Souza’s connection with his former Wendy’s employers goes back to his time working while finishing high school.

According to De Souza, Usama El-Sehrawey and the late Ernest Smily awarded him a scholarship to attend Cape Cod Community College. He recently reflected on that support and thanked the Smily family for believing in him and investing in his future.

The scholarship gave De Souza an opportunity to continue his education while building experience in the workforce.

His academic progress eventually put him in position to pursue a transfer to Yale.

From Community College to an Ivy League Campus

De Souza’s journey also highlights the role community colleges can play in helping students reach highly selective four year universities.

He was previously a student at Cape Cod Community College and served as a student representative on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. State records show that he participated in discussions about the experiences and concerns of community college students.

His academic accomplishments have now opened the door to Yale.

De Souza was also named among the Massachusetts semifinalists for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s 2026 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

A Business Relationship That Became a Mentorship

The story is also drawing attention because of the role De Souza’s former employers played in his education.

The owners of the Wendy’s restaurants where he worked did more than provide him with a job. Their scholarship support helped him take the first step toward a college education.

De Souza said the most meaningful part of the relationship was not what the owners built as business operators, but the way they invested in people.

That support has now become part of a much bigger academic journey.

Why His Story Is Resonating

The path from working at a fast food restaurant to attending an Ivy League university is an inherently American success story.

It combines work, education, mentorship and opportunity in a way that is likely to resonate with families and students across the country.

De Souza’s story also offers a reminder that an early career in the service industry does not have to define someone’s future.

A part time or full time job can become a starting point for education, professional connections and long term goals.

Yale Is the Next Chapter

De Souza is expected to begin at Yale this fall, turning a scholarship that started at the community college level into a much larger academic opportunity.

His journey from a Wendy’s manager to a Yale student is now attracting attention because it shows how a relatively small investment in one student can have a lasting impact.

For the people who helped him along the way, the upcoming Yale chapter represents the payoff of believing in a young person before the rest of the country knew his name.

For De Souza, it marks the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

A Story About Opportunity

De Souza’s journey is ultimately about more than a college acceptance.

It is about what can happen when students have access to people willing to invest in their potential.

A scholarship from his former employers helped him attend community college. His work and academic achievements helped him move forward. Now, he is preparing to walk onto the Yale campus.

The journey from a Cape Cod Wendy’s to one of America’s most prestigious universities is an unusual path, but for De Souza, it is the next step in a dream that began with someone simply deciding to give him a chance.