Nebraska Afterschool Conference – Wes Moore

About the book The Other Wes Moore

The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.

Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year of each other. Both grew up fatherless in similar Baltimore neighborhoods and had difficult childhoods; both hung out on street corners with their crews; both ran into trouble with the police. How, then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader, while the other ended up a convicted murderer serving a life sentence? Wes Moore, the author of this fascinating book, sets out to answer this profound question. In alternating narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, The Other Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a hostile world.
 

About the author Wes Moore

Wes Moore is an Army combat veteran, social entrepreneur, and national bestselling author. 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 alongside community support.

Wes graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University. He completed an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Wes served as a paratrooper among the elite 82nd Airborne Division in the United States Army and retired as a Captain after having participated in a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Wes has been featured by USA Today, TIME Magazine, People Magazine, “Meet the Press,” “The Colbert Report”, “The View,” MSNBC, and NPR, among many others. He is a consistent news contributor to programs such as Morning Joe, Hardball with Chris Matthew, NOW with Alex Wagner, Andrea Mitchell Reports, and many others. He has also hosted programs such as “Beyond Belief” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as two shows on PBS: “American Graduate Day 2014” and “Coming Back with Wes Moore”, for which he was the Executive Producer.

Today, Wes Moore’s mission is to help young people succeed and make the right choices through education and awareness alongside the support of their parents, teachers, and mentors. Moore is the Founder and CEO of BridgeEdU, an innovative college platform that addresses the college completion and job placement crisis. BridgeEdU reinvents the freshman year in a way that engages students in real-world internships and service-learning opportunities in addition to core academic classes.

Wes is also the author of a new book, The Work, which was released in January 2015. The Work picks up where The Other Wes Moore left off and follows Wes’s journey to the point where he discovered meaning in his work through service. While detailing his own path to purpose, The Work also profiles a dozen other inspiring people who have found their mission by uplifting their communities.

Currently, Wes lives in Baltimore with his wife and two children.

Updated September 2, 2020 1:19pm