Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins Rewards New Jersey Teen Who Overcame Child Abuse To Earn Full Scholarship To Rowan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In sports, there are ways to measure an athlete��s speed, agility and explosiveness. But if you want to assess grit and determination, it takes overcoming adversity.
Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins sees the makings of a champion in 17-year-old Ka'Juan Garrett.
Jenkins invited Garrett, who is from Paulsboro, to attend his annual Next Level football camp after learning about the young man's troubled upbringing through a story covered on CBS3.
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The teen is a child abuse survivor who spent the last several years in a foster home, where he flourished athletically and academically. He graduated with honors and earned a full scholarship to Rowan University.
"We just gave him love, I think he just needed a little bit of guidance," Ka'Juan's foster resource parent Orlanda Pantojas said. "He just said thank you for having us here and paid us back with that respect."
Garrett says the key to breaking the mental chains of abuse was to forgive those who hurt him and he plans to pursue a career in social work to help other children.
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That is something Jenkins says deserves to be celebrated.
"To hear his story and really how he was able to pull himself up from his boot straps, we know that's not normal and it's not easy and just that's inspiring," he said. "Ka'Juan's story is a great example that there's no obstacle too big to overcome in life."
Graduating and meeting one of his favorite players in the same week — Garrett says it seems too good to be true.
"It's definitely a great experience, it's a once in a lifetime experience and I plan on having fun today," he said.
The mission of the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation is to empower youth to overcome the limits of their circumstances and reach their full potential and Ka'Juan appears to be well on his way.
