From a troubled past, to sustained success, a nationally-recognized motivational speaker stopped by the Binghamton City School District on January 5 to share his story and influence our students to be mindful of being on the right path.
East and West Middle School students had the opportunity to hear the inspirational story of Dr. Tommie Mabry. Dr. Mabry is a bestselling author and motivational speaker who travels the country – giving students and educators the tools to succeed no matter what life throws at them. All middle school students watched Mabry share his life story and motivational words to work hard in school, surround themselves with people who build them up, and make choices that will build the foundation of a productive life. EMS and WMS eighth-grade students also had a breakout session with Dr. Mabry about their futures after their time in the Binghamton City School District is done, and what they can do now to lay the groundwork to do what they want to do.
The event was set up through the BCSD Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP). GEAR UP is a federally-funded program for eighth-grade students in the district to help them get them on a path for after graduation, which is done through field trips, college visits, and more.
“I’m just hoping that they see somebody who may come from where they come from, looks like them, talks like them, and really see that Tommie’s been through a lot of things in his life and no matter what he’s been through, he’s been able to overcome it,” said Adam Brown, Community Schools Coordinator at East and West Middle Schools.
Dr. Mabry’s story is an inspirational one full of hardship, self-realization, and redemption. Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Mabry had few positive role models growing up, and turned to life on the streets as a result. Getting into legal trouble in fifth grade for breaking and entering a state fairground, a judge told Dr. Maybe within the next five years, he would either be dead or behind bars.
School wasn’t a priority for Dr. Mabry as a child. In all, he was kicked out of ten schools, also having to repeat eighth grade in the process. “I was fighting for acceptance,” Dr. Mabry explained. “You were lame in my neighborhood if you pulled your pants up, sad to say. You were lame in my neighborhood if you had your bookbag on.”
He did have one escape in life though: basketball. Dr. Mabry’s talents on the hardwood did not go unnoticed. He was an AAU national champion and highly recruited with several scholarship offers to college to play basketball, but one incident changed that. During his senior year while skipping second period, a friend’s gun accidentally fired and the bullet hit Dr. Mabry in the foot he dominantly jumped off of in basketball. This caused all of his scholarships to be revoked, but this served as a turning point in his life. He was able to become the first in his family to attend college by getting a basketball scholarship to Missouri State, contingent on raising his GPA. He eventually transferred to Tougaloo College where he worked hard to receive his bachelor’s degree in education, and eventually received his doctorate degree from Jackson State University in Urban Higher Education.
Dr. Mabry’s discussion with the middle school students was firm, but empowering. He challenged them to live differently in all walks of life and to not simply follow along with what the people next to them are doing. He praised the ability that young people have, but that their ability means nothing if there is no effort applied. Dr. Mabry’s message of pushing yourself to achieve what you want in life is summed up in the quote that he repeated often during his presentation: “To get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.”
