PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins had a surprising message for the graduates of Parkway Northwest High School on Friday. The two-time Super Bowl champion told the students that wins and losses aren’t everything.
Jenkins’ commencement message was personal and practical — a departure from the call to action he made two years ago in a virtual address to all district grads during a summer of racial unrest.
“People push you and say, ‘Go for the jobs that pay the most money,’ or ‘Go do X, Y and Z.’ But not often do we ask you: What is that makes you who you are? What gets you up in the morning? What motivates you?” he said.
This time, he told the 51 Parkway Northwest grads that they have the power to write their own futures — that their destinies should be determined by their own passions, not the expectations of others.
“I wasted a lot of time in my career trying to be like other people, and not recognizing that I am my own individual with my own gifts and talents. And the way I play the game is going to be different from everybody else’s,” he said.
He said it’s not the wins and losses in life that will define them.
“You’re not defined by your accomplishments. You’re not defined by what people say about you,” he said. “You’re defined by how you play the game — how you live your life.”
And they should not be afraid to ask for help along the way, he said.
The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation is supporting Parkway Northwest with a financial literacy curriculum. His mother, Gwendolyn Jenkins, is president of the foundation.
“We started our commitment by opening savings accounts for all of the students here at Parkway Northwest High School,” she said.
Each student received $50 last year. Where those savings accounts go from here — that future is for the students to write.