KINGSTON — Susan Fenwick dropped out of school at 16 to take care of her two younger siblings. Her first job was working for McDonald's, and she's been with the company, with a few brief interruptions, ever since.

Fenwick remembers the heavy feeling of regret as she closed the door on the possibility of higher education, or so she thought. As one of eight kids with an absent dad and a struggling single mom, she had no choice.

But this was no dead-end job.

Over a career spanning more than 25 years with the fast food company, Fenwick, 49, has worked her way up to customer care representative for Peninsula McDonald's Restaurants. Along the way, she says, she's been nurtured and mentored by her McDonald's "family."

In December, Fenwick realized her dream of earning a four-year college degree through McDonald's Archways to Opportunity education assistance program.

"For me, it took almost a lifetime," she said. "McDonald's has been there for me in every sense of the word."

Investing in employees

Since Archways launched in 2015, more than 500 employees, Fenwick included, have earned high school degrees tuition-free through online coursework. McDonald's has awarded more than $48 million in college tuition assistance to more than 24,000 employees.

Fenwick earned her high school diploma through Archways in 2016 and graduated Dec. 20, 2018, from Colorado Technical University with a bachelor's in business administration. She was able to use her on-the-job training toward some of her credits, and the program fully covered her tuition at CTU.

Fenwick was the first Archways participant to be recognized for completing both her high school diploma and a college degree.

Archways to Opportunity also includes English language proficiency training and educational mentors to guide employees regardless of their educational goals.

To be eligible, employees must have been with the company 90 days and work a minimum of 15 hours per week.

McDonald's Archways program is part of a larger trend of restaurant chains offering tuition assistance in some form or another to employees. Among fast food chains with these perks, Burger King and Taco Bell offer scholarships. Chick-fil-A offers tuition discounts. Chipotle offers tuition reimbursement, and Pizza Hut offers tuition discounts and grants.

Offering tuition assistance to people in what are generally low-wage jobs helps companies attract workers and improves a company's image.

Much on her shoulders

Fenwick remembers her first job cleaning the parking lot and lobby of the McDonald's in Klamath Falls, Oregon. She was 15, one of the three youngest in her family, and she had already moved out of her mother's chaotic home to live with friends and older siblings.

Her part-time hours didn't amount to much, but she remembers her first paycheck.

"It was not very much money, but I was so proud of it," she said. "At that moment, I felt like, OK, I'll be able to take care of myself and I'll be able to contribute to taking care of my family."

When she was 16, one of her older siblings co-signed a lease on a one-bedroom studio apartment for Fenwick and her younger brother and sister. After a brief time in foster care, the siblings wanted to stay together and out of the system. Their income consisted of Social Security from their father who had died and her wages from McDonald's.

Fenwick pushed for a promotion to work in the kitchen, a job at that time dominated by men.

Despite her responsibilities, Fenwick was determined to finish high school. She worked hard at credit recovery in her senior year and was about to submit the final schoolwork before graduation when her locker was broken into and everything was stolen.

Fenwick gave up on her own schooling and focused on helping her brother and sister complete their schooling. Her brother was killed in a car accident. Her sister completed high school and went on to become a physician's assistant.

A McDonald's romance

Fenwick married at 18 and followed her Army vet husband to Lexington, Kentucky, where she once again found a job at McDonald's. The marriage didn't last and in 1993 she moved to Kirkland, where her younger sister lived, again landing work with McDonald's.

There she met Brian and Kathy Beaulaurier, owners of several McDonald's franchises in the Kirkland-Bellevue area. The Beaulauriers helped her develop her career. She was promoted to shift manager and later store manager.

"The managers, they were my parents, honestly. They took me under their wing, not just as an employee but as a person" Fenwick said.

While working for the Beaulauriers, she met and began dating Doug Fenwick, another longtime McDonald's employee who is now operations manager for Peninsula McDonald's Restaurants. They've been married 22 years and have a blended family of six children, most out of the nest.

When the Beaulauriers moved their franchise operation to Kitsap County in 1997, the Fenwicks went with them, settling in Kingston. In 2005, Susan was promoted to area supervisor, and seven years ago stepped in as "customer care representative," a position that now encompasses everything from payroll to dealing with customer complaints.

Still, something was missing.

Boss: 'very proud of her'

Fenwick was so self-conscious about her lack of education that she never even told her husband she hadn't completed high school.

When she heard about Archways to Opportunity, she saw the opportunity to finally further her education.

As a student at CTU, she maintained nearly a 4.0 grade-point average. She learned new skills and found she loved history. Her confidence soared. After completing her bachelor's degree, she felt she could go many directions with her career. But for now, she remains loyal to the Beaulauriers and her "McFamily."

"As long as Doug and I have been with the organization, it really is truly a family, more so honestly than what I had when I was young," she said.

Following her graduation from CTU, Fenwick was honored at a McDonald's corporate event in Chicago. Brian Beaulaurier was there cheering for her.

"I'm very proud of her," he said. "Very, very proud."