The San Francisco 49ers hosted more than 50 Santa Clara foster youth at Levi's Stadium on Wednesday night, per a press release issued by the team. The organization took an opportunity to honor the group for graduating from high school, obtaining a GED, earning a vocational program certificate, or acquiring an associate, bachelor or master degree during the 2018-2019 academic year.
The annual event, which is in its second year, included an awards ceremony and dinner. One of the 49ers players who addressed the graduates was rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who himself spent years in foster homes. Also in attendance was defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and offensive lineman Ben Garland.
"A lot of people can't relate to us," Greenlaw said during his speech. "We're a different type of people in this world because we can survive anything. I'm telling you, we can survive anything. We've been through it all. I keep that in my mind every day that I wake up, that I'm a survivor.
"I feel like what has happened in my life previously, there's nothing that can stop me from where I want to be and where I want to go. I feel like the only person that's stopping me is me."
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You can watch part of Greenlaw's speech below, courtesy of Hannah Gordon of the 49ers.
"I can survive anything... what happened in my life previously, there is nothing that can stop me from where I want to go... Once you get that #mindset, which I know you guys have... it's just the beginning," - #49ers @DreGreenlaw #commencement #speech for foster youth 🎓🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/emEyzGuV80
— Hannah Gordon (@Gordon_Hannah) June 13, 2019
If you're not familiar with Greenlaw's story, I recommend you read Matt Barrow's fantastic profile on the linebacker for The Athletic.