Rehan Staton got rejected from every college he applied to during high school. Now, as the Washington Post recounted in a great feature story, he’s headed to Harvard Law -- after years of picking up garbage.

• After the college rejections, Staton needed a job: He found one with Bates Trucking and Trash Removal in Maryland. His co-workers were supportive and told him to reconsider trying to get a college degree. “The other sanitation workers were the only people in my life who uplifted me and told me I could be somebody,” Staton told The Post. 

• And the son of the trash company’s owner had a connection: He knew a professor at Bowie State University and put him in touch. The professor helped Staton appeal his rejection. He got into the school and maintained a 4.0 GPA. 

• Staton transferred to the University of Maryland: But his father suffered a stroke, and Staton had to keep working with the trash company while he attended college to afford his father’s medical bills. Staton’s brother was working with the sanitation company to cover Staton’s expenses. 

After college he worked for a consulting firm and applied to law school

And he got into Penn, Pepperdine, Columbia, USC and Harvard. He is supposed to start at Harvard in the fall. 

The Verdict

Since Staton’s story was published in The Post, several celebrities, including Tyler Perry, have offered to help pay for part of his law school expenses.