Growing up in South Jamaica, Queens, Marvin Pierre understood firsthand the challenges of limited access to quality education.
As the son of Haitian immigrants, he faced struggles common to many low-income families, but his path took a pivotal turn when he received an opportunity to attend a boarding school in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
“That opened up so many opportunities for me,” Pierre recalls.
However, the transition was difficult.
“I was going from being the majority in terms of race at my previous school to now being a minority,” Pierre said. “I think I was one of 12 African American students on campus.”
Despite these challenges, Pierre found guidance in Dr. Sam McFadden, a community advocate who became his mentor.
“He used to say to me, ‘No matter how high you climb up the ladder of success, always reach back to pull up another person.’ That stuck with me,” Pierre says.
Little did he know, those words would shape the rest of his career.
After attending Trinity College, Pierre launched a career on Wall Street, working at Goldman Sachs. But when the 2008 recession hit, he lost his job and found himself at a crossroads.
That’s when his best friend, a teacher, invited him to speak to her students.
“She said, ‘Hey, you got nothing to do. Come talk to these boys; they don’t take school seriously,'” Pierre recalls.
What Pierre saw in that classroom changed everything. A chart on the wall showed the students’ reading levels.
“It was a fifth-grade class and the highest number I saw was a three,” he said. “That meant most of them were likely to drop out or get caught up in the criminal justice system.”
One of those students later committed a violent crime and was sentenced to life in prison. It was a wake-up call for Pierre, reminding him of Dr. McFadden’s lesson.
“I realized, this is what he was talking about—lifting as you climb,” Pierre said.
Inspired, Pierre transitioned into education, first working in charter schools in New York and eventually relocating to Houston to help launch an all-boys school within the KIPP network.
But he wanted to do more.
“At the end of my charter school experience, I was trying to get support to start an all-boys elementary school,” he said. “Our boys were coming in with severe reading deficiencies, and I knew that if we started earlier, we could change the trajectory of their lives. But the network wasn’t invested in that vision.”
Around the same time, Pierre learned about the school-to-prison pipeline. He discovered that nearly 12,000 young people in Houston were being funneled into the juvenile justice system each year, often without the support to reintegrate into their communities.
This realization led him to be the co-founder and executive director of 8 Million Stories, a nonprofit dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated and “at-promise” youth get back on track.
I’ve always rooted for the underdog because I was one at one point in my life. And when you take time to learn about these kids, you see that their actions are often just cries for help. These kids have promise that is why we don’t consider them at-risk.
Marvin Pierre, Co-Founder/Executive Director, 8 Million Stories
“I’ve always rooted for the underdog because I was one at one point in my life. And when you take time to learn about these kids, you see that their actions are often just cries for help,” he said. “These kids have promise that is why we don’t consider them at risk. We wanted to be an organization that answers those cries.”
8 Million Stories is a holistic program that focuses on unpacking students’ experiences and reviving hope rather than just providing a GED or vocational certification. The organization creates a sense of belonging for students who have struggled to find success elsewhere, ensuring they have a supportive family to help them overcome their mistakes.
Zola Gallo, manager of Transformative Learning and Experiences at 8 Million Stories, has witnessed this transformation firsthand. She joined the organization in 2024 and dedicated her career to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline through education, job training and healing. With a background in criminal justice and special education, she understands the importance of meeting students where they are.
“Many of our students come to us at different academic levels. My role is to tailor our curriculum to their needs, helping them fill educational gaps while also preparing them for the workforce, she said.” “Society has often told them they don’t deserve success. Our job is to undo that damage and help them rebuild their confidence.”
The leadership at 8 Million Stories has also been a source of inspiration.
“Working with Mr. Pierre has been an incredible learning experience. He not only invests in our students but in the people who work alongside him. He’s taught me how to navigate the system as a person of color and reminded me that I belong in these spaces, just like our students do.”
The nonprofit’s impact is undeniable, with many alumni bringing new students into the fold. The organization’s best recruiters are its former students. Pierre believes real change starts with school policies and mindsets.
“We need to train school safety officers to see kids as students, not criminals. We need educators who build relationships rather than write kids off as ‘bad.’ It’s about seeing the humanity in every child.”
