Jayden Porter defies the negative stereotypes about today’s young Black male. As a 14-year-old Christian athlete, he leaves positive impressions whether at church school or home.
“Jayden is truly an exciting model of a young man growing up at this point in time. He’s a respectful, quiet, strong person and involved in every aspect of the church,” says his pastor, the Rev. W. Monroe Campbell of Mount Gilead Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
First Lady Marilyn Campbell adds, “I work with the Children’s Ministry and Jayden has been fully involved since the age of three when he attended Children’s Church. Now, he assists me as a youth aide. He’s cooperative and participates in all special programs held around Christmas and Easter.”
Echoing that opinion, his grandmother, Mrs. Vernal Ayers, declares, “He’s a wonderful grandson. He’s helpful and humble. You can ask him at the last minute and he’ll do it. He’s always loved the Lord. He doesn’t need a lot of fanfare.”
According to Mrs. Ayers, Jayden’s dad helped a lot to develop a ‘can-do’ attitude in his son. She says, “He has wonderful relationship with his father. He takes time with Jayden and they are together a lot.”
In response to the favorable comments, Jayden says, “I just like to help. I’m still young and if I can do it, I do it. It’s good to help. It’s good for you and it shows what a good person you are.”
As for his work at Mount Gilead, he explains, “I love to usher, and I love the Lord and becoming closer to the Lord.”
Far from one-dimensional, Jayden excels in academics and sports as well. Currently, he is an outstanding seventh-grader at Monroe Magnet Middle School in Inglewood.
But, as a student at Bennett-Kew Elementary School, Jayden consistently scored high on standardized tests in English and advanced math from grades three through five. In the sixth grade, he maintained a 3.8 grade average.
“Jayden also loves sports, especially football and basketball, but he excels at baseball,” shares Mrs. Ayers and Jayden’s awards verify her statement.
His honors in baseball include commendations for Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Best Pitcher and two-time All Star.
“I like playing baseball in positions as pitcher and first base. It’s not hard to learn [the game], I just watch the coaches,” says Jayden.
“In high school, I plan to play football. After I graduate, I plan to attend college, get a degree in business and go into marketing or do real estate.”
