Cape Cod Wendy's manager accepted into Yale after getting support from franchise owners

A former Cape Cod Wendy's manager is crediting his bosses for giving him the support he needed to get into an Ivy League university.

Four years ago, Thalles De Souza was working at the fast-food chain in Hyannis and planning to work in construction, until his franchise owners stepped in. Now, the 23-year-old has been accepted to Yale University.

"I worked so hard, and how much me and my family went through so much to get to the place that we got," De Souza said. "To me, it was just very exciting, and I still cannot believe."

De Souza escaped dangerous conditions in Brazil at just 13 years old, moving with his family to Cape Cod. He started working at a local Wendy's in high school.

"I remember there were days when I was closing Wendy's and I used to think to myself, I really want to move on," De Souza said.

The franchise owners saw potential in him and started a scholarship fund to put him through community college. Now, he's going from the drive-thru window to an Ivy League campus. 

"I don't think I had a lot of faith in myself, just because people look to Wendy's workers and they think you know, that is not a job I want to do one day," De Souza said. "But I think if it wasn't Wendy's, if it wasn't for the work ethics that I learned at Wendy's, I don't think I would have come to the place that I got."

De Souza starts at Yale in September and plans on studying political science and human rights on a pre-law track.