Life Turns Around for Man Who Was a Cleaner for 27 Years, Now Principal of the Same School
- Gabe Sonnier worked as a janitor for 27 years before he went back to school to get his teaching first degree and Master's
- Decades after he was encouraged to get his certificates, Gabe was promoted to the level of a principal at the same school he cleaned
- Many social media users who were inspired by his story said that the man was really determined to be better
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A man has shown that hard work and patience are powerful enough to change anybody’s life. Gabe Sonnier walked as a janitor at Port Barre Elementary school for 25 years.
One day in 1985, the principal of the school, Westley Jones, called him aside and told him that he would rather love to see him marking papers than cleaning around, Goal Cast reports.
Source: UGC
He took steps
Gabe said the principal’s words really touched him. At 39 years old, the man went to school. He combined schooling with work, leaving little room for any leisure activities.
After getting a teaching degree, he was able to get his first job as a teacher in 2008 at Port Barre Elementary. He never stopped there; the man also got hisMaster’s degree. Years after in 2013, he was promoted to the level of a principal, CBS reports.
He remained humble despite his new status
An interesting thing is that despite his new level, the man still cleans his own office. Speaking about his success, he said:
“Don’t let the situation that you’re in now define what you’re going to become later. I always tell them it’s not where you start, it’s how you finish.”
Below are people's reactions on Instagram:
christiegram__ said:
"Lovely to aspire to something else but wrong with being a cleaner? The world needs them too!"
dreadreaoc said:
"Two principals with exceptional principles."
allyouneedisorange said:
"One of the nicest people I remember from my childhood was the school janitor. He was a well-respected, gentle man. I remember him although I haven't seen him in over four decades..."
jacob_the_snowman said:
"And who better to run the school, frankly."
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Halala: Mzansiinspired by woman who quit job of 16 years to become Covid19 nurse
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that Frieda Staebler is another example of perseverance and faith. The Cape Town-based woman says she worked in a factory for more than 15 years and never gave up on her dream to become a nurse.
Staebler’s story is documented on Facebook via the Heroes of Groote Schuur and it has seriously inspired many South Africans.
The stunning woman says she is now working in the Covid-19 ward.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Phumzile Ngcatshe (Editor) Phumzile Ngcatshe is a staunch football fan and a lover of political and human interest stories. He launched his journalism career working for various community publications but eventually joined Goal.com where he worked until October 2020. In March 2021 Pumzile also started writing human interest, mainstream and sports news for Briefly News. Phumzile's love for writing saw him earn a national qualification in Journalism and Media Studies and a qualification in video and television production.
