Rehan Staton from Maryland grew up with his dad who had to work three jobs to raise him and his brother.
His mother left the family when he was only 8 years of age and the struggle never seemed to end.
“We went through extreme poverty, there were times when we just couldn’t eat,” Rehan told NBC News.
But Rehan never gave up on his dreams of one day going to Harvard Law School.
The boy had to sacrifice many things and work exceptionally hard to save as much cash as he could so he worked as a garbage collector with his older brother.
“When you’re out in the street and you see a dumpster that looks really bad, I’m the guy who’s going to make it look very good,” he said.
And when he was accepted into the University of Maryland, his brother dropped out so he could go.
“The thing about my brother, he literally picked a profession where people looked down on him so that others could look up to me, and he knew that,” Rehan said.
Rehan still worked tirelessly at his garbage collecting job while he was at uni and sometimes didn’t even have time to shower before entering the classroom.
“I would have to sit on the side of class and try not to bother anybody with my scent that day,” he said.
But he didn’t give up and was able to graduate with the grades he needed to be accepted into Harvard Law School.
“And as Terps, we are champions because we pick each other up,” he said in his graduation speech.
“The only reason that I made it to where I’m at is because people helped me out of the kindness of their heart,” he added.
Rehan has also revealed his plans to give back by offering others people free lessons.
For TODAY’s report on the story, please see the video below.
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