I was touched when I read Gabe Sonnier‘s story, an elementary school principal in Louisiana who began his career as a janitor and through hard work, commitment and dedication, made his way to where he is now as the head of the school!
Inspired by his boss while working full-time as a janitor at the age of 39, he began taking classes after work to achieve a teaching degree and soon landed his first teaching job. He then went on to get his Master’s degree and the rest is history.
Gabe’s success story reminds me of my father. When we first came to the United States in the early 80’s, he juggled between bagging groceries and pumping gas to help my mother support our family. On top of all that, he understood the importance of a good education and with the help of my mother, put himself through computer school at night! All of his hard work paid off. He got a stable professional job for years and just retired last year from the IRS.
People like my father and Gabe teach us a very important lesson. As Gabe says, “Don’t let your situation that you’re in now define what you’re going to become later…it’s not where you start, it’s how you finish.”
I do not know Gabe, but I love him already from reading about his extremely motivational story. You just never know-your cleaning person may be your next boss someday! So be kind to everyone you encounter, regardless of the position they have. Enjoy the inspirational video clip below on Gabe!
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