From Inmate To Inspiration: A Short Q&A With FAMU Grad Dontae Thompson

Dontae Thompson is living proof that there are, indeed, second chances and he’s helping youth turn their lives around. In a post on Instagram, Thompson wrote that he went from being an inmate to becoming a graduate of FAMU and a boy to a man. The post now has more than 34K likes. Thompson talked via email with HBCU Buzz editor Tommy G. Meade Jr.

When did you think that your post on Instagram was going to be viral across social media?

I knew that the post on Instagram and also on Facebook had gone viral at around when I gained 500 likes in 3 hours, and popular social media pages were beginning to repost my image.

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What does it mean to be a graduate of FAMU?

It means everything, FAMU is one of the top HBCU’s in the country, and most of my relatives attended and graduated from FAMU before me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTmRMeSj2Ek/?taken-by=_motion_picture_

What have you prepared that’s helping you for life after college?

I have already accepted a full-time job offer with a company where I will be employed as a Systems Test Engineer.

How did you go from being an inmate to a graduate of FAMU?

I decided that I wasn’t satisfied with where I was currently at in life. I made up my mind that I was selling myself short and that’s when I decided to apply to FAMU.

Who or what was your support system during your matriculation at FAMU?

My family and I also had a part-time job to support myself.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTpoWzdjIKc/?taken-by=_motion_picture_