Massachusetts man graduates from the college where he worked as a custodian
Michael Vaudreuil earned a degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute while cleaning it at night.
For the past eight years, Michael Vaudreuil worked as a custodian at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, but this past Saturday he traded in his work uniform for a cap and gown when he graduated from WPI with a degree in mechanical engineering.
In 2007, Vaudreuil’s life changed course when his plastering business went under in the recession, according to WBZ. He lost his home and his family went bankrupt. The only job he could find was as a custodian at WPI.
There, Vaudreuil was able to take advantage of the tuition-free classes offered to employees. He already had an associate’s degree in aeronautical technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology, according to The Boston Globe. WPI challenged him, he said, but Vaudreuil was still determined to follow through.
“You’ve got to stay in the batter’s box and keep swinging,’’ he told the Globe. “You swing and you miss. You swing and you miss. And your motivation goes down and you get tired or maybe you go home with your bat. But stay in there. Keep swinging.’’
Vaudreuil hopes the years of taking classes during the day and cleaning at night will pay off with a new job in his field.
“Very few times do you ever get to experience a real ‘someday,’” he told WBZ. “And so it feels like, welcome to my ‘someday.’”
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