​Growing up in one of Jackson, Mississippi's toughest neighborhoods, Tommie faced significant challenges early on. By fifth grade, he was arrested for breaking into the state fairgrounds and spent much of his school years suspended or expelled. A judge once predicted he would end up dead or in prison within five years - a statement that ultimately became a turning point. Through basketball, Tommie found a new path, traveling with an AAU team and becoming the first in his family to graduate high school in 2007. Despite being shot during his senior year, he persevered an earned a full basketball scholarship to Missouri State University - West Plains.

Tommie graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Education from Tougaloo College and went on to earn an M.A. in Child Development. In 2020, he completed an Executive Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education at Jackson State University. His journey came full circle when he was hired as a teacher by the same Jackson Public School District that once expelled him.