Short version:
Student applied to a list that was mostly reaches with no safeties, got shut out.
Took a gap year (with various activities other than just work like most middle/low income people would have to do).
Student applied to a mostly different list (not as reachy, but still no safeties) next year, got admitted to some schools.
I would say that the student got lucky the second time in getting admitted to some schools, since there was still no safety in sight. It probably would have been devastating to get shut out the second time.
*The schools in the lists with lower stats do consider “level of applicant’s interest”, indicating that they do not like to be used as “safeties”.