Dallas Cowboys Rookie Tyler Booker Says 'Helping Inspire Students' Is All Part of the Game: 'It's Truly a Blessing' (Exclusive)

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NEED TO KNOW

• Dallas Cowboys rookie Tyler Booker is getting connected to his community

• The offensive guard recently spent his downtime teaching kids about the importance of military service

• After briefly being sidelined with an ankle injury, Booker is making an impact in his first year in the league

Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Booker is paying it forward!

The Alabama alum is having a standout rookie season — but he’s also making time to give back to the community.

Earlier this month, Booker spent time teaching Dallas-area kids about the importance of military service and the impact of veterans, on behalf of the recently opened National Medal of Honor Museum, located in Arlington, Texas.

“I’m far from a Medal of Honor winner, but I have done some pretty cool things in my life,” Booker, 21, tells PEOPLE. “So I’m sharing with students some of those same characteristics playing out in my life, like being committed to the game of football, sacrificing time with my family, and really just investing within myself.”

As part of an initiative with AT&T, Booker led a special lesson for students at the AT&T Connected Learning Center, where they discussed the values that define the Medal of Honor such as commitment, integrity, sacrifice and courage, representatives with the company said.

Through his advocacy, Booker says it’s an important lesson for kids — who are “trying to develop some of their own core values and understanding.”

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“What does integrity mean as a seventh-grader?” Booker ventures. “But then understanding how they can learn with some of the Medal of Honor recipients, kind of what they went through and the sacrifices they went through in order to understand what commitment means, what integrity means— it’s really valuable because it’s helping inspire students of who they’re going to become.”

Booker, who was sidelined earlier this season for three weeks after a high ankle sprain, is continuing to adapt to the pro game. But all the while, his impact on the next generation is not far from his mind.

“It’s truly a blessing for both of us," he says. "For me to be able to see how far I’ve come being in their shoes, and for them to understand and learn some of the lessons that I’ve learned along the way."

Read the original article on People