Allentown students hear words of encouragement
Tommie Mabry tells them how he beat the odds and became a success in life
Tommie Mabry was a high school senior who was kicked out of 10 schools and had a 1.8 GPA when he was shot in the foot while skipping school one day.
Mabry, a motivational speaker from Mississippi, spent Tuesday and Wednesday talking to students at the Allentown School District’s three high schools as part of the district’s Black History month celebrations.
At Dieruff High School on Wednesday, Mabry told freshmen how he rose out of violence and poverty to become the first in his family to graduate from high school.
“You have a dream, that’s the best thing you have,” he told the students.
For Mabry, getting shot in the foot as a high school senior ended his basketball career, but it made him focus on school and his future. When he realized basketball wasn’t his future, he focused on academics and finding a career.
Mabry earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and wrote two books, including “A Dark Journey to a Light Future,” which he gave copies to students Wednesday. Mabry travels throughout the country motivating students to “find something bigger than the streets.” Mabry visited Allentown students last year, too.
Mabry’s background is similar to many students’ backgrounds. Almost 90 percent of the Allentown School District’s students are minorities, and more than threequarters of them live in poverty. Dieruff science teacher Tyson Sprayberry said it’s significant for Allentown students to see how someone like Mabry succeeded.
“They can look at me all day but I still haven’t come out of poverty from a place like Allentown,” Sprayberry said. “Students identify with Mabry.”
On Wednesday, he also encouraged students to find a circle of friends who support them rather than bring them down.
“You are who you hang around,” he said.
That message resonated with many of the Dieruff students.
“He really inspired me to focus on who my friends are, and to be independent,” freshman Elani Gonzalez said.
Dieruff freshman Jadalize Hurtado said after hearing Mabry it inspired her to find friends who support her dreams of being either a lawyer or interior designer.
“He really pushed me to work toward my future,” Jadalize, 14, said.
At the end of his speech, Mabry made the students repeat a mantra after him.
“Be confident, be determined,” the students chimed. “Be motivated, be yourself.”
jpalochko@mcall.com Twitter @Jpalochko 610-820-6613