Marvin Burchall has become an inspiring, living example of the unusual rewards people can receive for a job well done.

The 23-year-old was awarded a full, four-year scholarship to Boston's Endicott College after distinguishing himself in his job as a waiter at Elbow Beach.

His efficiency and manner so impressed college reps visiting the hotel that they made him the offer a lifetime a fully funded spot $34,000 a year tuition school.

After dropping out of Bermuda College, Mr. Burchall, 23, worked as a waiter and a bartender at the hotel before he made a huge impression on an administrator from Endicott.

Mr. Burchall's uplifting story first came to light in a Bermuda Sun article recently.

But on Monday, his tale was featured in the Boston Globe newspaper, one of the most read newspapers in the US.

He's now settling in comfortably, studying hotel management, the article said, while taking some time to get adjusted to New England's frigid temperatures.

The article read: "To (Marvin), Lynn Bak was just another customer, another tourist visiting the island getaway.

But Burchall's service was impeccable, and his attentiveness and amiable manner caught Bak's eye.

"Bak, who coordinates Endicott's School of International Education in Bermuda and stays at the Elbow Beach Bermuda resort every three weeks or so, gradually got to know Burchall, a 23-year-old who had dropped out of college during his sophomore year to work at the hotel.

"The better she knew him, the more she was struck by his poise and potential, and she eventually recommended him to Endicott president Richard Wylie as an excellent candidate for Endicott.

"In October, Wylie wound up sitting in Burchall's section while in Bermuda for a graduation ceremony and was similarly impressed.

"In short order, Endicott offered Burchall a full, four-year scholarship, room and board included, which he eagerly accepted on the spot."

"How could I say no?" Mr. Burchall is quoted as saying in the article. "I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me. I knew I had to take this and run.

"I had never heard of Endicott College, and now look where I'm sitting," he said at a student lounge between classes. "I was just doing my job. It's kind of surreal, really."

The good luck stroke was a nice change for the young Bermudian, who had lost his mother four years ago to brain cancer and later been hospitalised after being struck from behind by a baseball bat in an unprovoked attack.

Mr. Burchall is convinced his mother would have be delighted by the developments in her son's life.

"She's smiling over this," he told the Boston Globe. "Trust me."