MIAMI GARDENS – The Miami Dolphins partnered with 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project to host a Police and Youth conference in an effort to improve interactions between law enforcement and community.
Gathered at the BankUnited Club Level were more than 600 high school students who witnessed a panel discussion between Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills and tackle Ja’Wuan James, former Dolphins wide receiver Nat Moore and members of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
The event was also built for the purpose of inspiring the youth and Stills did just that.
Many of the students in attendance spend their Sunday afternoons rooting for the Dolphins, and there are nerves associated with meeting members of their favorite team. However, Stills provided comfort and motivation by sharing his story with the audience.
“Whatever it is you want to do, set a goal, write that thing down and go after it,” Stills said. “I wanted to play in the league, my father played in the league. He wasn’t really around in my life but I looked up to him. … I wanted to play ball so that’s what I did. I went to high school, made sure I got my grades. I didn’t really like school. I didn’t like going to class – but I needed to graduate high school so I could go to college. So I did everything I could to graduate from high school.
“I graduated early, went to college, got a scholarship, because my parents weren’t going to send me to school so I earned a scholarship. As soon as I stepped on campus I told the coach ‘I’m going to be here for three years and then I’m going to the NFL.’ So I did everything in my power to go to…
