By Ryan Stowers, senior vice president at Stand Together 

McDonald’s isn’t just a fast-food company. For restaurant employees with the hunger to succeed, it can also be the ticket to achieving their dreams. It’s a model of mutual benefit between workers and their workplaces that other employers can learn from — even if they’re not one of the world’s most recognizable brands.

Consider the payoff McDonald’s franchisee Scott Holowicki got by hiring Anamaria Monterroso Jimenez, a marketing assistant for a McDonald’s franchisee in Columbus, Ohio. 

Monterroso Jimenez started working for her local McDonald’s as a crew member at 15 years old. She then took advantage of the McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity program, which empowered her to work, learn, and progress in her job simultaneously, all without a bachelor’s degree. The skills Monterroso Jimenez acquired from working at McDonald’s while attending college unlocked potential she didn’t know she had; she’s now expanding her skill set by pursuing a Bachelor of Science in HR management at Colorado Technical University.

McDonald’s and its franchisees launched Archways to Opportunity in 2015 to offer education and personal development initiatives that unlock their restaurant employees’ potential, no matter where they are on their journeys.

“Everything we put in front of her, she tackles with ease — so we have to continue to challenge her, because her potential is unlimited,” said Holowicki, the owner-operator of the McDonald’s franchise where Monterroso Jimenez works.

“I think that she’s already got a background in the restaurants, and now, to bring it to the back office, she’s helping me create a new foundation, a new culture within our own organization that positively supports and empowers people to continue education,” he added.

For the Monterroso Jimenez family, McDonald’s is a shared passion. Monterroso Jimenez’s parents immigrated to the United States before she was born. Her parents worked at another McDonald’s franchise in Columbus, as did her grandmother and brother. And thanks to Archways to Opportunity’s English as a Second Language program, Monterroso Jimenez’s mother has improved her English skills.

Archways is a win-win: McDonald’s corporate-owned restaurants and participating franchisees get high-performing, loyal workers from overlooked talent pools, while their restaurant employees get fulfilling opportunities and more economic mobility. 

The lesson here for employers of every size, regardless of industry, is that employers at any level can trust their employees and nurture their growth. When they do, these people become their best selves at work and drive business value for their organizations.

This is especially true for those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or have faced barriers in their lives.