Teen Rewarded for Work Ethic

Many people recall stories of their parents claiming that "in my day" they would walk miles to school in the snow, uphill, both ways. We all know that to be an exaggeration, but in one young man's case it came rather close to reality.

At eighteen years of age, Jhaqueil Reagan didn't have a car or money  for the bus. Nevertheless he was committed to finding a job, so much so in fact that he set out to walk ten miles in the snow to get to an interview.

Along the way, the Indianapolis teenager stopped at a restaurant to ask for directions. The person he spoke to was Art Bouvier who suggested that with the ice and slush, not to mention the distance, that he would be better off taking the bus. Reagan explained that he didn't have money for the bus. Reagan never asked for bus fare, just directions.

Not too long afterwards, Bouvier and his wife got in their car and passed Reagan still walking towards his interview. Reagan was still less than halfway to his destination and now in an area without a sidewalk. Bouvier was impressed with the young man's willingness to walk so far in bad weather for an interview, knowing that there would be no guarantee of a job upon reaching his destination. Bouvier and his wife decided to give Reagan some money for lunch and to drive him the rest of the way to his interview. Bouvier also got Reagan's telephone number before dropping him off.

Reagan never got the job he interviewed for. But it turned out that the man that he stopped to ask for directions, Art Bouvier, wasn't an employee at the restaurant where Reagan found him. Bouvier was the owner and decided that he would himself hire Reagan. Taking care of his siblings since his mother died, Reagan was grateful to have met Bouvier and to have been offered the job.

As the story spread around the community, Reagan was given a free one-year buss pass. Not only would his walk have been less by working for Bouvier and not the site of his interview, but now with a  bus pass his commute was just made that much easier.

According to Bouvier, Reagan's work ethic is not only impressive but also sets the standard much higher for others. It especially serves as a helpful point of comparison for those who are trying to get a break without being willing to first earn it. You can read the story as Art Bouvier explains it himself on facebook.