Project Success, the Minnesota Vikings and GEAR UP share life lessons and celebrate MPS Seniors!

May 5, 2021

Eric Kendricks speaks to MPS high school students over Zoom.

Earlier this spring Project Success partnered with the Minnesota Vikings and GEAR UP to honor and celebrate the class of 2021 seniors in a live, virtual dialogue that featured current Vikings players and legends. Students from multiple Minneapolis Public High Schools attended the event.

In this year unlike any other, there have been times that seemed impossible to overcome.  This event allowed us to engage in a powerful conversation with Vikings players and legends to acknowledge the challenges our seniors have faced, recognize their resilience and celebrate all they have accomplished this year and will accomplish in the future.

Real talk during this event provided inspiration for our seniors. They were able to submit questions in advance of the event as well as during the event which fueled a meaningful discussion. The Vikings passed along lessons they’ve learned, which often involved overcoming obstacles along the way. They shared openly about challenges, failures, successes and encouraged the students to chase their dreams.

DJ Wonnum (Vikings Defensive End), who is 23 and not too far removed from the lives of our students, encouraged them to “stay focused, set goals and stick with them.”

“They say everything worth having doesn’t come easy. That’s a fact,” Wonnum said. “I can attest to that, but whatever you want to do in life — jump into the workforce, go to college, get that master’s degree, or even play sports — there’s going to be bumps in the road, but just keep going, keep fighting, keep working hard and it will work out for you.”

Former Vikings fullback, Tony Richardson shared, “sometimes in life, it’s not where you start. It’s where you finish.”

As the Vikings reflected on their own lives, one of the students jumped in and said “I can’t believe I’m actually on a zoom call with the Vikings!”

Eric Kendricks (Vikings Linebacker) imparted life lessons around self-love and reaching out to others to help you along the journey.

“First of all, you’ve got to love. You’ve got to take time for yourself a little bit. We realize what is really important, but going forward, don’t be scared to fail,” Kendricks said. “You’re going to enter fields, especially if you are interested in multiple things, you’re going to enter fields and you’re not going to know about what you are doing.”

“It’s important to let your guard down a little bit and express, ‘I’m interested in this. I care about this, but maybe I don’t know about this. Maybe I need help with this,’ ” shared Kendricks. “When you come to somebody and you’re vulnerable and say, ‘I don’t have all the answers,’ you’d be surprised how many people will be willing to help you fulfill those needs.”

As part of the event, thanks to a generous gift from the Vikings, all attendees received a special care package with items such as a Vikings backpack, and some received autographed items as part of an event drawing.

We celebrated the goals these students have set, the achievements they have made and the future that awaits them!

Vikings owner/president, Mark Wilf, spoke to the long standing partnership between Project Success and the MN Vikings, “we’re so grateful to Adrienne and Project Success for our partnership and our opportunity to work together. It’s been fantastic,” Wilf said. “We’re also so proud of Vikings players, current and former, for their commitment to make an impact in our community. Tonight is extremely important to me and our entire Vikings organization. We continue to advocate for change, transformational change, so our work with Project Success remains a top priority for our organization.”

 

“First of all, you’ve got to love. You’ve got to take time for yourself a little bit. We realize what is really important, but going forward, don’t be scared to fail,” Kendricks said. “You’re going to enter fields, especially if you are interested in multiple things, you’re going to enter fields and you’re not going to know about what you are doing.”

Eric Kendricks, Vikings Linebacker

At the beginning of the event, we polled the seniors on their post-graduation plans which include a mix of the following opportunities:

Post Grad Plan Poll

  • 2-year school – 32%
  • 4-year school – 36%
  • Travel/Study Abroad – 23%
  • Trade School – 18%

Check out the story that ran on Fox9 or Vikings.com to learn more about this inspiring evening:

https://www.fox9.com/video/914944

https://www.vikings.com/news/eric-kendricks-dj-wonnum-tony-richardson-project-success