Even though the 23-year-old Justin Juenemann has yet to play in a game of football representing the University of Minnesota, he has most certainly built up quite the reputation in his university.
Justin is the backup kicker for football team The Gophers but spends most of his time outside of school as a volunteer at the Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.
The word about Justin’s volunteer work at the children’s hospital eventually began to spread, and his fellow players, coaches, and teachers admired Justin for his dedication. That’s why the university decided to gift him a scholarship, even though he wasn’t a star player in the team.
One of the children he’d love working with the most at the hospital was allowed to do the honors and deliver the news about his scholarship. They wanted it to be a surprise and wanted to make Justin feel just as special as he’d always make the kids feel. The young man received a full scholarship for his final college season.
“Our goal was to create a moment of memory for Justin and his family forever because that’s what he earned,” head coach for The Gophers P.J. Fleck said to TODAY.
One of the children at the hospital, Kyle Tanner, even gave a small speech stating that Justin was his favorite player. The teen suffers from a rare blood marrow disease and further mentions that Justin is the one player that visits the hospital the most.
“It is amazing to see the joy and the smile on their faces,” Justin told.
His head coach gave Kyle a cannon that could throw T-shirts and instructed him to aim and fire the cannon at Justin.
He manages to perfectly catch the T-shirt, and absolutely loses his mind when he reads what’s printed on the front: “Justin, congrats you have earned a scholarship.”
In what can only be described as a moment of pure joy and celebration, all of Justin’s team members then threw him into the air like a real superstar.
Thereafter, Justin immediately shared the news with his mother via FaceTime, and her reaction was even more ecstatic than his own with lots of screaming that could be heard in the entire room.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Justin adds. “It is something that I will never forget.”
Justin’s coach has plenty of praise and holds him in very high regards.
The “Row The Boat” Culture is all about serving & giving!! Congrats to @JustinJuenemann on EARNING his scholarship!! https://t.co/fguiiyt5tY
— P.J. Fleck (@Coach_Fleck) August 9, 2017
“I’ve never seen anybody serve and give more than that guy, who is not a star player, who hasn’t played, where his face is recognizable,” the coach said after the surprise. “He could easily just not do it and nobody would ever say anything, and all he does is continue to keep his oar in the water, (and) live that holistic life academically, athletically, socially and spiritually.” “His life is not about him, his life is about serving and giving to other people.”
The scholarship that was gifted to Justin will most certainly come in handy, as the man wants to keep helping people after he gets his degree.
“I am pursuing a human resources degree, and (I’m looking) to continue that and just to help people throughout the rest of my life,” he said.
What a well-deserved surprise!
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Source: TODAY
