According to Ren Moore, it’s never too late to turn your life around.
In a recent article in USA TODAY College, the 42-year-old a convicted killer just graduated from college. Serving a jail sentence of 20 years after killing a man in a dispute over a drug- deal gone bad.
The ambition man turned to rap while in jail to help him cope with his anger. This later ignited ambition and after joining college, credit earned in university courses he took while in prison helped him turn a new leaf.
In an interview with the magazine, Moore shared his life story and his hope to inspire many.
“People used to say I was dumb growing up,” Moore said. “I believed it.”
The kid from north Houston did time behind bars as a teenager.
“If I would have died a long time ago, I would have just been known as a guy who killed another guy,” Moore said. “Now, I’m being known for something different.”
“All of that self-worth that I was looking for in the streets: that money, that power, that respect I didn’t get it,” Moore said. “I got degraded.”
It pushed him to enroll at Texas Southern where he earned all “A’s,” respect and the self-worth he craved.
Ren Moore in his graduation cap and gown (Photo: KHOU)
“The temptation is to say to all of y’all that told me I wasn’t going to do nothing (and) all of y’all (who) told me I was dumb, look,” he said. “But that may cheapen it.”
Instead, Moore focuses on his crafts: rapping, acting and inspiring others to find their purpose too.
“If I can do it, everybody can,” Moore said.
This article was first published at USA TODAY College website.
