Michael Vaudreuil lost everything in the recession. After his business was decimated, he lost his home and he couldn’t find work in his practiced field as a plasterer. Vaudreuil took the humble job of a custodian at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. That was 2008.
The pay was half of what he had made prior to the recession, but he was grateful for it and he decided to take advantage of the benefits. One of those benefits was being able to take one class per semester. He started taking classes to get his mind off his hardships. He just needed a distraction. But while distracting himself, slowly but surely, Vaudreuil worked towards his Bachelor’s degree.
Along the way, he had long days. He was in class or studying during the day, then at night he would clean up after his classmates. His peers probably learned more from the example Michael set than anything they learned in class. And they were in awe of the sacrifices the Vaudreuil family made.
When Michael graduated, his classmates erupted in cheers. This hard working 54 year old man with fierce determination to redefine himself walked across the stage this month to get his diploma. He now has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with a minor in psychology. And this custodian graduated with a 3.65 GPA.
Michael’s story is one that should be shared because hard work doesn’t seem to be the norm anymore. This man pulled himself up by his bootstraps and changed his life. He is hoping his story inspires others as you can see in the video below.
True to his hard working character, Vaudreuil is still working as a custodian at the school. He is searching for a job in his intended field but until he finds it, he will continuing cleaning up after students. Whoever is lucky enough to hire him will know they are getting a very hard working man.
Please share this to inspire others to work towards their “some day” like Michael did.
H/T: Washington Post
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