Dr. Marcus T. Wright is higher education scholar-practitioner whose professional vow is to empower and encourage every college student he encounters to the absolute best of his ability. He is dedicated to college student success, belonging, and well-being, and has taught, mentored and advised hundreds of college students at several institutions. His philosophy is to develop college students with the critical thinking, confidence, self-direction, and resource-seeking skills necessary for them to successfully navigate their opportunities, work through challenges, and curate meaningful collegiate experiences.
His current work in higher education includes directing and strategically growing the Sociology and Law & Society programs at the University of Pennsylvania, and teaching leadership courses to first-year students at the Wharton School and graduate students at Widener University. His former students have gone on to attain Ph.D.s, J.D.s, and M.D.s; launch non-profits; and excel in fields such as consulting, technology, marketing, government, education, and more. Dr. Wright has helped students earn prestigious scholarships and fellowships, design original research projects, and co-author analytic papers. He has also collaborated with students in program leadership and mentoring, as well as innovation across academic and co-curricular initiatives. Dr. Wright is continuously motivated by his belief in the power of higher education to transform lives.
Dr. Wright is also the author of four books. His most recent effort, Onward, Undergrad! How to Crush Self-Defeating Thoughts in College (2025) is a motivational guide that normalizes unspoken college struggles and helps students work through them. Connected to this book, Dr. Wright leads the Onward, Undergrad! Initiative, hosting workshops for pre-college and college students, as well as families and college personnel, on how to use a method he developed (the G.R.A.C.E. method) to work through self-defeating thoughts before they turn into self-doubt and self-sabotage.
Dr. Wright graduated grade school from the historic Girard College (a 1st-12th grade private boarding school in Philadelphia for children from financially limited single-parent or guardian-led homes). He earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ), before returning to Philadelphia to start a high school sports multimedia coverage company, Varsity 365. After covering many of “the biggest games and best rivalries” in Philadelphia area high school sports, Dr. Wright shut down Varsity 365 to return to the books. He then earned his M.S.ED. in Learning Sciences & Technologies at Penn GSE in 2014, followed by a Doctorate in Higher Education at Penn GSE in 2023. In addition to his work in higher education, Dr. Wright is the co-founder of Design Meets Mind, LLC, a mental health and well-being practice, and member of the Board of Directors of the Community of St. James, a nonprofit organization in North Philadelphia that includes a 3rd-8th grade school (St. Jame’s School).
Marcus resides with his beloved wife and two children.
Dr. Marcus T. Wright 