Author, decorated combat veteran and Rhodes scholar Wes Moore spoke Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, about the intentions and motives of his book, “The Other Wes Moore.” McCain Auditorium was filled with students, staff and faculty as Moore shared personal stories and motivated the crowd to see their higher education in a new way.
“Who will you stand for? What will you stand for when you don’t have to? Whose life will matter to you when it doesn’t need to? That is what your higher education is supposed to mean,” Moore said.
“The Other Wes Moore” focuses on two kids with the same name and similar upbringings. Both young men grew up fatherless in rough Baltimore, Maryland, neighborhoods, and often ran into trouble with police. Through a series of events, the fates of both men become very different. One grows up to be a decorated combat veteran, White House fellow and business leader, while the other is serving a life sentence for felony murder. The Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families, the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, and other K-State entities assisted with the coordination of the lecture.