From Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice - Paperback

by Terence Lester (Author), Jemar Tisby (Foreword by)

"The author's message is potent and timely... this is a vital call to reform a broken system." - Publishers Weekly Review, June 2025

Discover An Inspiring Personal Story of Resilience, Redemption, and Advocacy

Born into an impoverished community in a two-parent household that later fractured, Terence Lester and his sister were moved from place to place by their mother in a search for safety and stability. Carrying the heavy weight of that early trauma, Lester's path led him to gangs, juvenile delinquency, and even homelessness, at one point living out of his car. He eventually dropped out of high school, another statistic in a system designed to fail him.

But his journey did not end in despair. Lester returned to school, graduating as a fifth-year senior against all odds. He went on to earn five degrees, including a PhD in public policy.

A Story of Overcoming Systemic Barriers

From Dropout toDoctorate is Terence Lester's powerful story of overcoming adversity to becoming a champion for educational equity. Lester shares his own story of resilience through trauma, perseverance through pain, and reliance upon community that led him towhere he is today--not to glory in success, but to give back to the community that God used to shape him.

Connecting his personal struggles to the larger, complex challenges faced by Black children in under-resourced communities, Lester's story brings attention to what must be done to ensure that others facing similar odds have the opportunity to achieve their own dreams.

In this book, you will discover:

• A compelling personal narrative of overcoming adversity, from homelessness and dropping out of high school to earning a doctorate.
• In-depth insights into the realities of educational injustice and its impact on Black communities.
• A thoughtful exploration of how poverty, unjust policies, and the school-to-prison pipeline disrupt lives and perpetuate systemic barriers.
• An inspiring call for educators, leaders, and advocates to champion educational equity and a more just and inclusive world.

A Call to Invest in a More Just Future

As you travel with Lester through scenes both painful and hopeful from his early life, you'll see how God can take even the most broken parts of your story and use them for his glory. You'll be inspired to advocacy--to confront educational inequity and inspire change. From Dropout to Doctorate offers a hopeful pathway forward for those ready to reimagine what is possible for marginalized communities.

Will you be the next one to make an impact?

Author Biography

Jemar Tisby is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism. His writing has been featured on CNN, and in the Washington Post, theAtlantic, and the New York Times. He is the founder and president of The Witness Black Christian Collective and the cohost of the Pass the Mic podcast.

Terence Lester (PhD, Union Institute and University) is a storyteller, public scholar, speaker, community activist, and author. He is the founder and executive director of Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness about poverty, homelessness, and on community mobilization. He also serves as the director of public policy and social change and as a professor at Simmons College of Kentucky (HBCU). He is the author of I See You, When We Stand, andAll God's Children, and he coauthored with his daughter, Zion, the children's book, Zion Learns to See. He and his family live in Atlanta.