An 18-year-old trekking through the ice and slush Friday in Indianapolis determined to arrive on time for a job interview 7 miles away left quite an impression on a restaurant owner who is not used to seeing such a work ethic in someone so young.
When Jhaqueil Reagan asked how far it was to the thrift shop at 10th and Sherman, he was told it was at least six more miles. When the man suggested he take the bus, the youngster just said thank you and kept walking.
Later, the restaurant owner, Art Bouvier, was driving down the same road and saw Reagan still walking in the freezing temperatures.
Bouvier picked him up and learned, upon asking, that the teen was desperate for a job to support his two siblings after their mother died. He was still walking because he couldn’t afford the bus.
“We drove him to 10th and Sherman. He was extremely thankful and said so. I got his telephone number and told him I would see if there was a way to hire him, so his daily trek to work would be 3 miles instead of 10. I also asked him if he had eaten today, and he said he hadn’t. I gave him money for lunch and dropped him at the Dairy Queen.”
It turns out Papa Roux’s did have a job for him — at double what he would have made at the thrift shop.
“It’s been a while since I’ve met someone so young with a work ethic like that!
After he wrote about it on Facebook, the story received over 23,000 thumbs up and the national media picked up the story.
(WATCH the video below or read more from the Indy Channel)