Dr. Tommie Mabry
The Cultivating Student Success and Persistence with Growth Mindset Intervention Grant is thrilled to welcome Dr. Tommie Mabry to campus on November 14th and 15th, 2024, for a conversation with faculty, staff, and students.
Dr. Mabry will meet with students on November 14th from 1–2 pm in the Lecture Hall (LH 200) and with faculty and staff on November 15th from 1–2 pm in the Ball Performing Arts Center (BPAC 121). Admission is free; however, we ask that you RSVP using the following TEAMS form so we can provide an accurate headcount to event planners.
Important Note: Faculty and staff looking to recive PD Credit may sign up for the class, titled "Growth Mindset Guest Speaker" through the CE website.
Growing up in one of Jackson, Mississippi's roughest neighborhoods, Dr. Mabry was arrested in the fifth grade for breaking into the state fairgrounds. Following that, he was suspended and expelled from several schools for behavior, with a judge telling him his attitude was going to get him killed or incarcerated.
Soon after, however, Dr. Mabry joined a basketball league that traveled around the world and eventually became the first person in his family to graduate from high school. Despite being shot in the foot his senior year, he went on to play basketball for Missouri State University.
He graduated from Tougaloo College cum laude with a B.A. in Education and then received an M.A. in Child Development in 2017. He was also hired by the same Jackson school district that suspended and expelled him many times during his youth.
In 2020, Dr. Mabry received his Ph.D. from Jackson State University, majoring in Urban Higher Education. He has authored four books and works to inspire others with his story of perseverance.