From Quarterbacks to Cornerbacks to Running Backs—They Give Back

By United Way of King County, on August 15, 2023 | In Helping Students Graduate, News, Success Stories

The 2023 University of Washington football team is ranked ninth or higher in four national preseason Top 25 polls and is picked to finish second in Sports Illustrated’s Pac-12 Conference preseason projection. UW’s star quarterback, Michael Penix, Jr., is rated as the second-best player at his position in college football by ESPN and is expected to go fast in the upcoming NFL Draft.

With those expectations, who’s got time to mentor local youth?

Apparently, they do. While juggling schedules that include classrooms, studying, tests, practices, gamedays, family, and rest, the team often prioritizes mentoring youth at the nonprofit 4C Coalition. The mentorship is through Montlake Futures, an organization that benefits the missions of nonprofit organizations by developing educational experiences for the University of Washington student-athletes at those organizations.

4C Coalition is a Seattle-based organization that mentors youth of color in the Puget Sound area. 4C Coalition was launched in 1999 after church representatives, educators, social agency workers, and mentor program representatives gathered at Seattle’s Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration to discuss developing a mentoring program for local youth. 4C Coalition has received funding from United Way of King County since 2010 to support activities that keep youth connected to their schools and their communities.

4C Coalition is also a member of the Racial Equity Coalition, a group of 14 Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color organizations funded by United Way to each launch its own after-school program for providing students lessons rooted in their own races, ethnicities, and heritage.

Those UW players who mentor youth at 4C include Penix, Jr., who says his father mentored not only him but many other youths in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. Now, the star quarterback is giving back. Recently, we sat down with Penix, Jr. and two of his teammates in the mentoring program, Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Edefuan Ulofoshio for their insights and experiences on connecting with local teens and young men. Here’s what they had to say.

Note: The players are pictured above with 4C Coalition executive director Hazel Cameron.

United Way of King County: Tell us your names, your years at UW and where you’re from?