James Mabrey, a 2007 alumnus of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco, California, soared an incredible distance when he set a school record in the triple jump in the spring before his graduation. But it is the journey he underwent during the past four years that SHCP track and field coach Andy Chan and other faculty members say is most impressive.
That path has led Mabrey to enroll at City College of San Francisco, where he will continue his impressive career on the track. Chan says that in the weeks leading up to graduation and the Central Coast Sectionals, Mabrey commented more than once that if he hadn’t attended SHCP he didn’t know where he would be.

A quick glimpse into Mabrey’s childhood reveals a young man who has overcome adversity to put himself in a position for success.

Mabrey was raised in the West Point neighborhood of Bayview Hunter’s Point. His father failed to earn a high school diploma, while his mother didn’t continue her education after high school. As a result, Mabrey is the first person in his family to attend college.

Mabrey split his time between his parents’ separate homes, and he recalls getting into fights at Luther Burbank Middle School. His mother transferred him to Gloria R. Davis School, where Mabrey says he had friends but that the same problems still confronted him.

“My mom was trying to take me from a bad situation,” Mabrey explains.
One day, however, Mabrey and his seventh-grade friends were in the schoolyard at the end of the day when random gunshots were fired.
“I ran as fast as I could down the two hills that led back home,” Mabrey remembers.

A short time later a group of Mabrey’s neighborhood friends purchased some guns. One friend accidentally shot himself, and Mabrey will never forget the scene at the hospital.

“He had tubes running into him from everywhere,” says Mabrey, adding that he will never forget the sterile smell of the room.

His friend eventually died, and Mabrey pledged that he was going to make something of himself and stay away from the negativity that surrounded him.

When Mabrey enrolled at SHCP, his eyes were opened to a whole new world, full of new people from different backgrounds. Still, he admits that coming from a public school in a rough neighborhood made adjusting to the community and culture at SHCP difficult at first.

Up and over: James Mabrey doesn’t let obstacles get in his way

He played football his freshman year and earned a 2.19 GPA, falling .11 points short of being eligible to play basketball. He says it was a wakeup call that reminded him of why he was at SHCP.

“I always knew I wanted to make it and succeed,” he states.
Mabrey says the discipline he learned from football coaches John Lee ’80 and Frank Lee ’76 served him well.

“I knew that I had to take care of business in the classroom, or I wouldn’t be any good to a team,” Mabrey says.

During that time Mabrey also became estranged from his mother. “I didn’t approve of her lifestyle, even though I still loved her.”

Meanwhile, Mabrey focused on getting back on track with his studies, and it paid off—as a result of doing well in the classroom, he was able to also manage an athletic practice schedule and went on to became a three-time Central Coast Section (CCS) medalist in track and field as well as a three-year varsity basketball player, and he had a key role as a guard on the 2006 team that advanced to the State Championships. He was learning time management and found a balance that worked for him.

Along the way Mabrey also set the school record in the triple jump, with a distance of 45 feet, 2.5 inches, and he reset the school record four times in May and June 2007. After graduation, Coach Chan accompanied Mabrey to the Golden West Invitational in Folsom, where Mabrey bettered his school record in the triple jump with an incredible distance of 46 feet, 2 inches. Mabrey eventually placed fourth overall in the event.

In his senior year? Mabrey claimed the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) championship in the triple jump. He also tied the school mark in the high jump (6 feet, 4 inches).

Math instructor Leslie Bell, who taught Mabrey as a sophomore, junior, and senior, says he was engaged in class and was truly invested in learning.
“James was an enthusiastic student, in both asking questions and offering answers. He had a lot of energy in the classroom and was a great motivator to other students.”

Bell and Chan both recall Mabrey offering pep talks to younger students. Chan says that Mabrey was always quick to offer encouragement and support, even to the younger runners, but a scene at a race in King City stands out in his mind.

“Another runner, who I don’t think even knew James, came up to him after James lost a race and hugged him to console him,” Chan remembers. “James’s enthusiastic smile and friendly demeanor always made him accessible to others. The fact that another runner consoled him speaks volumes to how James interacts with others.”

Mabrey eventually fell short of his goal of making a trip to the state championships. Still, reuniting with his mother and having her in attendance at graduation capped a life-changing four years for him.
“It meant a lot to have my mom there,” says Mabrey.

He now wants to make sure his fourteen-year-old brother, Lajarie, follows in his footsteps. “I don’t want him to fall prey to the negativity. I can understand why my parents, coaches, and teachers at SHCP always stayed on me to remain focused.”

Mabrey believes that Bell, Chan, chemistry teacher Ramsey Mussallam, counselors Bill Krueger and Susan Ershler, and dean of students Mario Sazo all played pivotal roles in his journey at SHCP.
Bell says that Mabrey should be commended for making such an amazing transformation while at SHCP.

“I saw wonderful improvements in his academic self-esteem and achievements,” she says. “He was always truly happy, funny, friendly. I was always thrilled to see him and will miss him. He is one-of-a-kind.”
Meanwhile, Mabrey envisions a possible real estate or business career, and he will continue to nurture his lifelong love of rap, which he says enables him to express himself.
“Whatever I end up doing, I know I’m going to succeed."

Writer: Jeff Sutton ’94
Text and photo courtesy of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, Office of Communications. The school’s web site is www.shcp.edu. This story was originally published in the school’s SECOND CENTURY magazine (Autumn 2007). The full magazine is accessible on the web site under “Development” and then “Communications.” Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is a Lasallian-Vincentian school. Inspired by the Daughters of Charity and the De La Salle Christian Brothers, in partnership with families, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory’s mission is to provide the finest education in an inclusive Catholic community of faith, preparing students to become service-oriented leaders with a commitment to living the Gospel.