Bowie Sanitation Worker Earns Law Degree Thanks To Tyler Perry, Family Support

BOWIE, MD — With help from his family and film mogul Tyler Perry, Bowie sanitation worker Rehan Staton has worked his way through the University of Maryland and recently graduate from Harvard Law School.

When he was 8, his mom left their family and his dad found himself raising two boys on his own, struggling to pay the bills. Staton shared with WUSA that there were times where they didn't have food, electricity or heat.

He was mad at the world. His grades and test scores weren't good enough for him to attend college and he received rejection letters from all of the colleges he applied to, so Staton decided to work for a sanitation company to help his dad pay bills.

He said he had a low 2.0 GPA when he graduated from high school and his SAT scores were only a 1040 out of 2400. "That's why I became a garbage man – because no college took me after graduation," Staton told FOX 5.

Then his brother dropped out of school so Staton had a shot at attending college. He started off at Bowie State University in 2014, and two years later, transferred to University of Maryland, earning a history degree with a 3.84 GPA, working the whole time. He'd wake up at 4 a.m. to head to work, sit in class, then return to work to finish his shift.

He credits his father and brother with supporting his dreams of attending Harvard. Filmaker Tyler Perry also believed in him, and paid covered Staton's tuition to Harvard.

Staton told FOX 5 when Perry called him he thought it was a joke, but believed him once Perry did the famous Madea voice.

Now, Staton has walked across the stage a fresh graduate. He's created a nonprofit called The Reciprocity Effect with the goal of building solidarity between students and staff at educational institutions. He's also headed to a New York law firm where he'll jumpstart his career.