Villanova athletes mentor Pennsylvania middle school students, inspiring confidence and dreams

Student-athletes at Villanova University are giving back in a powerful way. Through a mentorship program with Radnor Middle School, they're helping young boys gain confidence and see what they're capable of.

One of those students, 13-year-old Jaylen Bostick, said the program changed how he thinks about school and his future.

"I thought I would just go to high school and slack off," Jaylen said. "But now, I'm getting into a lot of honors. My grades are so much better than they were. Going on to high school, I plan to keep these good grades."

Jaylen was among 24 eighth graders receiving mentorship from 15 Villanova football players over the course of a year. The goal is to learn from young men who balance sports, school and leadership. The boys toured all of Villanova's football facilities and attended two games in the fall.

Villanova football tight end Nolan Clayton said he's seen Jaylen come out of his shell, gain confidence and start dreaming big.

"Jaylen is awesome," Clayton said. "He was a little shy when he got here. But the more meetings we had, Jaylen just kept talking, he kept growing. He started having fun, he came out of his shell a little bit. It was awesome. He did a great job."

For Jaylen and the other eighth graders, the program is about leadership and believing they belong on a college campus.

"It's been really life-changing," Radnor Middle School eighth grader Peter Masciantonio said. "The memories I made will probably stay in my life forever and it's just a lot of fun. Like, the advice they gave me is really helpful."

The program was created after the success of a similar initiative for girls. Last year, 14 student-athletes from the Villanova women's basketball team provided guidance and mentorship to 28 eighth grade girls from Radnor Middle School over four sessions.

The final session of the boys' mentorship program wrapped up Wednesday. But for Jaylen, this is just the beginning. He's talking about college and even hopes to open his own business one day.

"I'm very happy," he said. When asked what comes next, his answer was simple: "Success."