Keondre Jackson, a current NFL player and a 2020 graduate, visited Freeport to speak with high school students and to donate a jersey to his former high school.
Jackson recently completed his first year in the NFL as a safety for the Baltimore Ravens.
With his return, Jackson held meet and greets with students during their lunch periods, took interviews in Jena Kleindl’s Video Production class, and spoke to the entire school in an assembly held in the gym.
“I think it was a very interesting experience getting to talk to someone in the highest league of football,” said sophomore Kiyren Prince-Price.
Jackson returned to FHS to talk about his journey and to inspire students to never give up on their dreams.
“I faced a lot of challenges, whether that was playbook, strengthening myself, or getting faster, but you just have to make those your learning curves,” said Jackson. “You can’t just look at them as something hard because you always need to be learning.”
As a former Pretzel, Jackson wanted students to know that no matter who they are or what they want to be, they can be it. He shared how he believed in himself to get this far.
“Whatever your heart desires, just go conquer that. It’s all about what you believe in and how much you attack that belief,” Jackson said.
