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Recently Featured in the Providence Business News – September 18, 2020
Hayleigh Correia of Pawtucket could not have imagined where her life would take her when she first walked into the McDonald’s restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. She was 17 years old and wasn’t sure what she wanted her future to look like or practically, how she would get there. However, having a job was a non-negotiable and if she was to further her education, it would have to be while she was also working.
As it turned out, she excelled at her job as McDonald’s crew- so much so, that it wasn’t long at all before she was promoted to shift-manager. Then, things really took an exciting turn.
Paul Deutsch, Area Supervisor for greater Providence, is a 32-year McDonald’s veteran, and notably, an “evangelist” for Archways to Opportunity. He saw in Hayleigh great enthusiasm and aptitude in her job, yet saw even more so that he could help Hayleigh get on a path to achieve her dreams in the field of criminal justice and law enforcement.
In 2019, Hayleigh enrolled at the University of Rhode Island to study criminal justice, the first in her family to go to college, while simultaneously working as a trusted manager at McDonald’s. Says Paul, “We, Hayleigh’s McDonald’s family, are very proud of her and what she is achieving- as student, and in her excellent work as a manager.”
More than just being proud, McDonald’s has been integral at helping Hayleigh not merely learn important skills in her first job. McDonald’s “Archways to Opportunity” program allowed for significant tuition to be covered at University of Rhode Island where she is currently in her second year. Every year, Archways covers $3000 while she works a schedule that enables her to carry a full course load in pursuit of her dream. More notably, Hayleigh’s experience has been contagious where many more students- including those older and more “non-traditional”- are doing the same at URI, at CCRI, online courses and beyond.
Indeed, Archways to Opportunity is changing lives throughout New England, and throughout America. Rhode Island employees are among the most achieving and cover almost every field of higher educational accomplishment. Students are attending culinary programs, state colleges and universities, including Rhode Island’s flagship at University of Rhode Island in Kingston. The tuition assistance is paid upfront: it covers any accredited program, it can be repeated every year (as long as the employee remains at least a part-time employee). Since the program began in 2015, over 39,000 employees have received a tuition benefit, and we are seeing the first of our 4-year college students graduating. And word has spread such that participation in the program has more than doubled in the last year and the company has given away more than $100 million in tuition assistance.
Furthermore, Archways to Opportunity is not only for college: the program extends to both a high school diploma program and notably, “English Under the Arches”. “English Under the Arches” began as a series of pilot programs going back a decade, and today has graduated over 7,400 employees. The results are impressive: 86% of participants who complete a conversation class progress to the next level and over 95% of those who have completed an EUA course have gotten a pay raise due to the increased responsibilities they are able to take on. And the high school diploma track has rendered some of proudest, most emotional and gratifying moments of them all. There are myriad, complicated reasons why people don’t finish their high school diploma. The McDonald’s program is self-paced and supported by counselors, and in the end, the credential for their effort is a completed high school diploma – not a GED.
These success stories are everywhere- in every region, and growing every day. McDonald’s leadership created Archways so that all those who work for us could attain their dreams, without being held back by high costs or lack of access. And there is no better investment than one in the people who bring the McDonald’s brand to life.
Roger Curtis is an Owner/Operator of McDonald’s/Providence, RI
