Sunday, May 29, 2016

BC graduation "very emotional" for one janitor

Fred Vautour, shown below, never went to college. Now 62, he's been working since he was 14, and for the past 15 years he's worked the night shift as a janitor at Boston College. Why? Because BC has a policy that any employee's children can attend tuition free, if they are accepted. His oldest daughter was 14 when Dad began the night shift as janitor. She worked hard in high school and was accepted by BC. Since then, his other four kids were also accepted, and on Monday, May 23, his youngest daughter graduated with a degree in nursing.

                                                                                                                   Keith Bedford/Globe Staff
Because Dad kept polishing mirrors and cleaning toilets and mopping floors, his family's tuition costs, including room and board, fell from $66,000 per year to only $3,000 per year, as each child was also awarded scholarships. "It's kind of bittersweet," Fred said. "My oldest daughter started here in 1998 and now it's 2016 and my last one is graduating. I've always had a kid at BC." But even after his nest is empty, Fred plans to continue working as a janitor. Why? "Working here makes me feel young."

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