Wes Moore: "The Thin Line Between Happiness and Tragedy"

Abstract

Wes Moore is an Army combat veteran, national bestselling author, and social entrepreneur. He is committed to helping young people redirect their lives and supporting the parents, teachers, mentors and volunteers who care for, and work with, our nation's youth. Moore graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. While a student at Johns Hopkins he founded STAND!, which works with Baltimore youth involved in the criminal justice system and still exists today. Moore completed a MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. Upon graduation, he served as a captain in the United States Army, completing a tour to Afghanistan as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. His first book, The Other Wes Moore, became an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller as a story that conveys the importance of individual decisions as well as community support. He is also the host of "Beyond Belief" on the Oprah Winfrey Network and Executive Producer and host of "Coming Back with Wes Moore" on PBS. Moore is the Founder and CEO of BridgeEdU, an innovative college completion platform that addresses the college completion and career placement crisis by reinventing the freshman year in a way that engages students in real-world internships and service learning opportunities. He has been featured by USA Today, People Magazine, "Meet the Press," "The Colbert Report", "The View," MSNBC, and NPR, among many others.