Ex-school janitor has now become the school's principal
Meet the man who went from being a student to a janitor to a teacher and now the principal of a school in the US.
Yes, Mike Huss has truly risen in the ranks at Ione Elementary School in California, and he said he feels 'blessed' to be where he's at today.
Speaking to Good Morning America, the 55-year-old said he became a janitor at the very school he attended as a young boy, taking on the role in 1989.
"I became a janitor because I didn't want to go to school, I'd fallen in love, I wanted to get a job and help my wife go through college," he told the chat show.
Advert
"So I just said, 'Oh, they've got a school's janitor job, I'll take it,' and it worked out. I didn't know I was going to stay there for all these years."
Sticking firmly in the role for more than a decade, Mike made an effort to connect with the pupils, something that didn't go unnoticed by the other teachers.
"A lot of teachers here at Ione Elementary kept saying, 'You're wasting your time. Look at these kids... they want to be around you and they learn from you. You need to go back and become a teacher,'" he said.
While Mike was happy with what he was doing and enjoyed supporting his wife, things changed when they had a son, Matthew.
"When my son was about three, I said, 'You know what? I want to show my son that you can keep growing in life,'" he continued.
"I know he was young but between the encouragement from the teachers on campus and the motivation to do something to show my son nothing's impossible, I went back to school in the late '90s to get my teaching credential."
Mike seriously put a shift in to achieve his goals, working 40 hours a week while also going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and coaching his niece's softball team in between – and being a dad to his son.
But the hard work paid off and once he was fully qualified Mike went from janitor to teacher in less than a week.
He flourished in the role and after nearly 20 years at Ione, he was offered the opportunity to become principal.
With the backing of the school district, his colleagues and the students, Mike has once again proven himself to be the ideal candidate for the job.
Discussing the reaction from the kids, he said: "They give me hugs and say, 'You're doing a great job,' and it's really cute to see a first grader tell you that.
"[I say] 'You don't even know what I'm doing. But thank you very much for saying it.' But they see me out and interacting so I think to them, that's all that matters."
He continued: "I am blessed. I truly am and I don't do anything special. I just show up and work hard. I show up and try my best."
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Daisy Phillipson