Fostoria McDonald's honors employee's feat

FOSTORIA — The Fostoria McDonald's restaurant, 620 N. Countyline St., recently honored employee Melissa Hammer on her reception of a college degree through her participation in McDonald's' Archways to Opportunity program.Archways provides free educational opportunities for McDonald's employees.Hammer started at McDonald's as a crew member in 2008 and is currently a shift manager. She recently completed the work for an associate's of science degree in business administration from Colorado Technical University."Completing my degree has given me a sense of accomplishment that I didn't know I was missing," Hammer was quoted as saying in a release from McDonald's. "If you have a goal and there is something you want to do, you can do it. You just have to push yourself and keep trying."A graduation ceremony and celebration took place at the Fostoria McDonald's with family and friends in attendance."Melissa often showed me with great excitement what she had learned in her classes and how she was applying it," Scott Ball, owner/operator of the Fostoria McDonald's, was quoted as saying in the release. "You could see from the smile on her face when you walked through the door that she had a put a class into practice and was thrilled to show you. Her willingness to learn is relentless."Tuition assistance is one piece of Archways to Opportunity, which is McDonald's' signature education program. At participating restaurants, Archways supports McDonald's employees in pursuing high school, higher education and career advancement. It provides comprehensive educational support, including English language skills, high school diploma programs and college degree assistance.Since its inception, the program has impacted more than 65,000 restaurant employees, according to the news release.