Saquon Barkley continued his post-Super Bowl tour not far from where he grew up on Tuesday afternoon at Milton Hershey School.

Barkley, who attended high school at Whitehall Township just about an hour away from Hershey, surprised students at the private boarding school during its kickoff assembly ahead of Pennsylvania System of School Assessment testing week.

"It's really a way just to kind of get them locked in, celebrate their success from the 'raise the bar' year that they've had, which is our theme for the year, and really just get excited for the testing," Elementary School Principal Amanda Smith said. "Our third-grade class wrote letters to Saquon a few months ago when they won the Super Bowl and they did a lot of research.

"They were like, 'Do you think he would come?' And we thought probably not, because he's so busy and has so many things going on. But I think really just building the kids up and getting them excited about seeing a role model while getting them ready for the testing – it's a whole community event."

The school consisting of more than 2,000 students filled the auditorium to the brim as the star running back came out from backstage to an ecstatic roar from the crowd.

"That was the best welcome I ever got in my life," Barkley told them.

The former Penn State Nittany Lion did a Q&A with the students at Milton Hershey School and gave them advice on working hard to reach their dreams, along with sharing some of his favorite moments from the 2024 season.

"Don't ever allow anyone to tell you can't accomplish anything. Not only professional sports, whatever you want to do – don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't," Barkley said. "I have a saying – shoot for the stars, land on the moon and anything you put your mind to you can accomplish it."

In addition to Barkley's special guest appearance, Eagles Cheerleaders and Drumline came out on stage with SWOOP to perform for the school.

However, the Drumline looked a little different than it normally does.

Hershey Milton School community member Ben Esquibel, who is part of the Eagles Autism Community, was an honorary performer with the Drumline, joining the group on stage at the assembly.

"It means a lot to me, because I look up to the Drumline and look up to everything they've helped me to accomplish. It's amazing to be able to have an opportunity like this. Without the Eagles Autism Foundation, I don't know who I would be or where I would be with the opportunities that lie – it's just amazing," Ben said prior to heading out on stage.

Ben and his parents Dustin and Onnie travel to Eagles Autism Foundation All Abilities clinics every time one comes up and have raised thousands of dollars for the Eagles Autism Challenge, taking part in it in 2024.

When the Eagles arrived, they gave Ben his own jersey with "Drumline" written across the back.

"Ben loves the drums, so we said, 'Let's try it.' And the first day we walked in, it just unlocked something inside of him that for the first time, we saw our son. And we just saw his joy and his happiness, and we really felt like a family. We had that sense of family and now, the sky is the limit," Dustin said.

"They've helped him grow so much with just anything from the sensory rooms to social emotional skills. It's been pretty amazing."

After playing on stage, Ben's dream day got even better, as he met Barkley, his favorite player, backstage.

The message Barkley gave to all of the students about not letting people put you down is something Ben has been a prime example of, not letting autism hold him back.

"It gives all of the kids hope. That's the biggest thing I think, is that it's 'All Abilities' and literally means all abilities and that to me is the best ever," Onnie said.

"It's not just limited to one activity. So much comes through and in and out of this organization. It's just an amazing organization and being able to talk to them – they are there to help you if you need," Ben said.

Along with Ben, the students at Milton Hershey School had a day that they will remember forever thanks to Barkley's appearance and words of wisdom.

"It was awesome. One, the message that they had about raising the bar and how well they did in testing. But to be here and the love that they had for me, it was truly amazing. It was a cool event. I love doing stuff like this and to be able to sit down and have conversations with the kids. Hopefully my story and the stuff that I learned is able to help them out in the future," Barkley said. – Written by Liam Wichser