RIO GRANDE VALLEY – As a running back, Djouvensky Schlenbaker is programmed to follow his offensive line and power through when an opening presents itself. He approaches life in a similar way – following his faith while navigating obstacles and taking hold of opportunities when they come along, running full speed ahead to bigger and better things. 
 
The redshirt junior on The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football team was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He grew up in an orphanage with his older sister, Djennika. 
 
Djouvensky was a toddler when he did the first big run of his life – heading straight into the arms of Kendra Schlenbaker. The two had met once before in 2004, when Djouvensky was just a baby and Kendra was in Haiti on a mission trip. She held him, learned his nickname was "Ben Ben," and flew back home to Bellingham, Washington after the brief encounter – not knowing how life-changing that moment was. 
 
Kendra and her husband, Brett, returned to Haiti for another mission trip in 2005. She recognized a small boy walking around a field where the kids played soccer near the camp where the missionaries stayed. 
 
"I was like, 'Is that Ben Ben?' And he heard his name and turned his head and just came trucking the whole length of the field," Kendra reminisced. "I get emotional remembering it. I had no intentions of adoption. I was not there to adopt, I was there to help any way that I could, this country and these people I fell in love with. He picked me." 
 

The Schlenbakers started the process to adopt Djouvensky and Djennika in 2006. It was a long fight, spanning over three years and seven trips to Haiti. In November 2009, Kendra returned to Haiti and found out all the adoption paperwork was lost, erasing three years of work. She decided to stay in the country after the setback and remained for a month to ensure everything was complete, returning to Bellingham in late December once the kids were legally theirs. 
 
"I got all our paperwork done so all we needed was their visas and passports. I was expecting to get the kids in just a couple of weeks, and then the earthquake hit," Kendra said. 
 
On Jan. 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti, with the epicenter mere miles from the orphanage in Port-au-Prince where Djouvensky, 6, and Djennika, 9, lived.
 
The United Nations reported that about 220,000 people were killed in the 35-second-long catastrophe. Over 3,000 miles away, Kendra and Brett worried and prayed for 24 hours before they learned the fate of their children.  
 
"We didn't know if there was damage to the orphanage, if they were alive, we had no idea. There was a lot of mom guilt. I just left my two babies and everything went to crap," Kendra recalled, holding back tears. "There was no sleep. There was no eating. Finally, through our church, we found out they had sustained minimal damage at the orphanage, God bless, and the kids were all alive and fine. Then our minds went straight to, OK, how do we get them home?" 
 
After making several plans and reaching out to their congressman, the state department, and any media outlet they could, the Schlenbakers got in touch with a pilot who was flying from Florida to Haiti to assist with medical aid. He agreed to get them into the country, and Brett quickly packed a bag and booked his ticket. Within 48 hours, Brett flew into Haiti and got the kids to the U.S. Embassy and flew into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with Djouvensky and Djennika. Because of Kendra's efforts to complete the adoption paperwork just a few weeks prior, the Schlenbaker children were U.S. citizens when they landed.  
 
"The earthquake was actually a blessing in disguise for me and my family. My dad came in on a cargo plane to get me and my sister. When we landed in Bellingham, that's kind of where my story starts," Djouvensky said. 
 
Djouvensky didn't speak English when he moved to the United States but was able to make connections through sports. He became a strong soccer player in Haiti and dominated the kindergarten-level matches in Bellingham. He started playing other sports because of his brother, Austin, who is six years older and taught Djouvensky how to be tough. 
 
"The only reason I started playing football was because I wanted to be like my brother. I picked up lacrosse, football and basketball from him," Djouvensky said. "He didn't make it easy on me, playing those sports. Especially lacrosse. He played defense and I was a midfielder, so we'd go outside and he'd just smack me around. There were a whole bunch of times when I would run inside crying and tell my mom he's being mean, he's bullying me, and my mom was like, 'If you want to play with the big boys, you got to learn how to handle it.'" 
 
Djouvensky began playing flag football when he was 8 years old and admitted he was "horrible" at first. Austin helped him go through the play sheet, using Halloween baskets and motorcycle helmets and other random items to replicate linemen while teaching him how to run through the gaps. 
 
Once the smallest kid at the orphanage, Djouvensky grew to be a 6-foot-0 bruiser of a running back. He earned a spot on varsity as a freshman at Squalicum High School and was starting at outside linebacker. Late in the season, he was moved to the backfield and took his first varsity carry straight to the end zone – running on instinct to a life-altering opportunity once again. 
 
Djouvensky went on to set Squalicum's career rushing record with over 4,000 yards. He earned All-State and All-Northwest Conference First Team honors. Plenty of recruiters came calling, including then-recruiting assistant at Washington State, Marco Regalado. Djouvensky signed with Washington State and enrolled early in the spring of 2022. 
 
"First recruiter I talked to was coach Marco Regalado. We built a really good relationship. He always told the truth with me and was always talking to me. He's just a great person," Djouvensky said. 
 
Coaching changes were abundant during Djouvensky's three years at Washington State, and he entered the transfer portal after playing in 11 games and making three starts in 2024. Once again, the first person to reach out was Regalado, now the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at UTRGV. 
 
Djouvensky didn't know what to expect when he and his dad arrived for their first visit to Edinburg in the spring. But just like he was pulled to run to Kendra 20 years ago, it didn't take long for him to feel pulled to run for the Vaqueros. 
 
"I fell in love with the Valley right away. I felt like there was a calling from God, too, that he wanted me to be here at this time. In my life, I always lean on him for very important decisions. I knew in my heart that God was calling me down here for a reason, to help in whatever way possible," Djouvensky said. 
 

Regalado was looking to add some experience and leadership to a young running back room, and Djouvensky was an ideal target. The connection they developed at Washington State, and the trust Regalado built with the Schlenbaker family, particularly Kendra, played a major role in the coach and running back linking up again. 
 
"I wanted to bring in some older guys that aren't only great players but are high character, role model, leadership type guys for my young guys. It immediately made sense that I had to get Djouvensky here some way, somehow. I knew I'd have to battle some schools, but that's when you realize recruiting is about genuine relationships," Regalado said. "It's cool and powerful that I knew him when he wasn't even 18 years old, didn't even have facial hair, and now he's an amazing young man. I'm very blessed to have him here. He's the ultimate team guy."
 
Kendra admitted that she wasn't initially in favor of Djouvensky moving 2,183 miles away – a distance she knows off the top of her head. But she knew this had to be Djouvensky's decision, and she was comforted by his reunion with Regalado. When Regalado was recruiting Djouvensky to Washington State, Kendra was impressed during one of their lunches when the coach talked only of his family, not football. She could tell how important family was to him, like it is to her. 
 
Knowing that her son is a very relational young man, Kendra wanted Djouvensky to find a place where relationships matter and the people around him would care about him as much as he cared about them. After a FaceTime with head coach Travis Bush and hearing Djouvensky talk about UTRGV when he returned home from his official visit, she got on board. 
 
"Djouvensky got home and we sat on the back porch and I said, 'OK, convince me. Out of all the schools, why this school?' He said, 'I have a gut feeling this is where I'm supposed to be,'" Kendra reflected. "That kid will run through a brick wall for you if he thinks you believe in him. He'll give you everything he's got. He went through so many coaches at Washington State that the relationships weren't there anymore. So, he made this choice to go to UTRGV on his own and it's exciting for me to watch. It's a chance to have new beginnings. This is his opportunity to show everyone what he has the ability to do." 
 
The Schlenbakers believe what is meant to be will find a way. Time and time again, Djouvensky has been in the right place at the right time, and UTRGV is no different – the invisible strings are there to prove it. 
 
Along with the rekindled connection with Regalado, Djouvensky discovered a tie with another member of the coaching staff that goes back to his final days in Haiti. Throughout fall camp, each member of the team stood before the group and talked about themselves, detailing their background, their goals, their journey. 
 
As Djouvensky told his story, Andy Pineda started to get chills. Pineda is currently a sophomore at UTRGV pursuing a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in coaching. He started working with the team's equipment staff in the fall of 2024 and moved to a student assistant role with the coaching staff this summer. Fifteen years ago, Pineda was part of the U.S. Army's 82^nd Airborne Division, which is known for rapidly deploying within 18 hours of notification to offer aid in emergency situations. His unit, the 325^th Airborne Infantry Regiment called the White Falcons, was on global response force and deployed to Port-au-Prince after the earthquake in 2010 – sending him to Djouvensky.  
 
"At one point in time, our paths crossed and we didn't even know it," Pineda said. "Hearing Djouvensky talk, I got goosebumps and it brought back memories, some good, some bad. It was very devastating, what happened in Haiti. But it's really awesome to see how successful he has become. He's a very special person." 
 
When Pineda got his chance to tell his story, Djouvensky was touched hearing the coach talk about his service. 
 
"When he said he went when the earthquake happened, it made my eyes water a little bit thinking of him fighting for my country and coming to help us," Djouvensky said. "I know what it must've looked like from his point of view, seeing all the people and everything looking destroyed. I couldn't appreciate that more because people deserve second chances and he went to save people." 
 
For Kendra, learning about the tie that binds Djouvensky and Pineda was a direct sign that everything was coming together. 
 
"Hearing that solidifies and cements to me that he did make the right choice and he is where he's supposed to be. A 6-year-old child leaving Haiti, going through life, going through the recruitment process, following his gut and praying about it all the time, it all led him to be where he is right now," Kendra said.  
 
Djouvensky enjoyed a smooth transition to UTRGV this summer and showed his value during training camp, both on and off the field. He and graduate student Nathan Denney have developed a good relationship and are serving as leaders in the running back room. Djouvensky loves his teammates, his coaches and the family-oriented community he has found in the Valley. 
 
This season is a new beginning for UTRGV football and for Djouvensky. He followed his faith to a unique opportunity, and he's committed to running with it and making the most of this next chapter, as he always has. 
 
"My birth mom, Natasha, said, 'I would like for my kids to have a better life.' The reason why I do what I do is because she gave me and my sister a great chance at a new life. I have to do everything I can because she made that decision for me," Djouvensky said. "I do think that it was meant to be. God put me here at the right time." 

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