Photo Gallery: Mark Wahlberg Visits T.C. Williams High School

Actor Mark Wahlberg visited T.C. Williams High School on Wednesday morning for an assembly presented by Get Schooled, a nonprofit that aims to engage high school students in an effort to improve graduation rates and empower more students to achieve in college.

Slouched in a chair wearing a Los Angeles Clippers T-shirt and blue jeans, Wahlberg, whose new film “Pain and Gain” hits theaters on Friday, talked to students about how he turned his life around, the importance of working hard in school and pursuing passions.

“I had to work really hard to get where I’m at,” Wahlberg said. “And I don’t mind working really hard to try and maintain it. It’s through hard work that I’ve been able to achieve this kind of success.”

A high school dropout, Wahlberg said he is working toward receiving his degree more than 20 years after leaving school.

Sway Calloway of MTV News led the assembly. A few T.C. Williams students were also able to ask Wahlberg questions, and the actor took time to toss a few friendly jabs at the students about their shoes and the cheers they received from the packed auditorium.

When asked who he admires, the 41-year-old Boston native said he reveres people devoted to others like teachers, police and first-responders, members of the military and clergy.

“People who go out there and work hard to provide for their family; the honest, hard-working individual,” he said. “A guy that takes pride in doing the right thing are the people I admire.”