Retired NFL Champion Marlin Jackson isn't just a beloved former Indianapolis Colt. He also has a huge role in Phalen Leadership Academies as a mentor to Phalen scholars.

“As a youth, I had a lot of grace,” Jackson says. “I could have followed down the wrong path but was able to escape altercation with law enforcement. Your foundation is so important to the fabric of who you become, seeds are planted, with a different environment, that goes with you.”

Jackson serves on the Phalen Leadership Academies' Board of Directors and stopped in to help encourage 4th and 6th-grade scholars at PLA@103.

“Dream, believe and achieve – I tell kids that all the time. If you can see it and if you have a passion and a faith inside you to believe in it, you will work to make it a reality and you will achieve whatever you set out to accomplish,” he says.

Jackson is a staple in the PLA community. His Fight for Life Program helps youth to fight for a better life through learning programs and is utilized in PLA schools.