Former convict and motivational speaker Andre Norman will speak at the College Thursday, Nov. 8.

His presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in Hegeman 109 and is free and open to the public.

Norman will discuss how he overcame a lifestyle of armed robbery and attempted murder to become a mentor to young people in at-risk environments.

Norman’s crimes, which included armed robbery and assault, led him to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. While incarcerated, other charges—including attempted murder—were added to his resume.

In the early 1990s, Norman decided that when he left prison, he would attend college and work with youth. Since his release in 1999, Norman has dedicated his life to using his story of triumph over tragedy to reach those in need. For nearly five years, he has consulted for various organizations that work with high-risk populations. Incorporating social, interpersonal, and analytical skills into his work, Norman has developed innovative programs for high-risk youth, adults, and corporate executives. He has also performed street outreach and mentored ex-offenders and inner city and suburban high school students.

Norman has worked with former Attorney General Janet Reno and Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, and has been profiled in the Boston Herald, and on National Public Radio, among other media outlets.

A visiting lecturer at Tufts University, Norman teaches  a course on the U.S. prison system. His lectures have taken him to Harvard Divinity School, MIT, and Northeastern University School of Criminal Justice, as well as public schools in Compton, Calif.;Atlanta, Ga.; and Boston, Ma. among others. He has also spoken at adult prisons, youth detention centers and corporate training programs through London Business School.

He is writing his autobiography titled Footprints.

-- Gretchen Parsells