The 2000s music legend talks about how a teacher changed his life

Pitbull, “Mr. 305” or “Mr. Worldwide”… whatever you want to call him, the Miami music legend put on a show on Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium.

And while entertainment was on the menu, the rapper and singer who rose to fame during the 2000s, took the time to tell a touching story about how it all happened.

Pitbull shared that he never had the opportunity to finish high school because he had to move and attend “25 different schools.” During his speech, the singer mentioned the “hope” that a specific teacher gave him to want to improve and change his life.

“I didn’t finish high school because of certain circumstances, I lived in a lot of different neighborhoods, 25 different schools, nothing bad, all good,” he told the crowd. “It helped me build my character. Good neighborhoods, bad neighborhoods, worse neighborhoods, but one teacher changed my life.

“When I had no hope, she gave me hope — ironically, her name is Hope Martinez,” he continued. “She looked me straight in the face when I was being a jerk and said, ‘I believe in you,’ and that changed my life.”

Through this life-changing moment, the singer spoke about how he could now meet with the right people to help build schools for children in need, called “SLAM!” or “Sport, Leadership, and Management.” SLAM is a K-12 school whose focus is “to offer an innovative and in-depth secondary education program that produces college-ready students through an emphasis on sports-related careers and post-secondary preparation,” according to its website.

The singer went on to explain that he likes to invest in the children’s future and that his fans help support them, making them part of the “SLAM!” family.

“We can invest in your future,” Pitbull said. “So now I don’t buy fancy cars, I don’t wear huge chains, that’s not my thing, but whether you know it or not, this is a celebration, welcome to the SLAM family because you all help make this happen.”

“Whenever you are in Miami or anywhere else, we have a SLAM school; you are more than welcome to attend because, by design and by default, you all help make this happen,” he added.