It was a dream that kept him off his crime-ridden streets and dedicated to his schoolwork. It was a dream that helped him to inspire two friends he made in high school. It was a dream that now helps him inspire countless others. That dream was to become a dentist.

Born on February 6, 1973 Dr. Jenkins lived the kind of life you would expect in one of the nation's poorest cities. But, on a fateful day when he was 13 years old, a routine dental check-up altered his course. Always an inquisitive child, he was fascinated by the tools in his dentist's office. Sensing Dr. Jenkins' curiosity, that dentist spent a little extra time with him, explaining each tool and what it was used for. These few minutes became the catalyst for the young boy's ambition.

Determined to get to medical school, Dr. Jenkins stayed focused on success while attending University high school. Having met Rameck Hunt and Sampson Davis as teenagers, Dr. Jenkins found kindred spirits as the three made a promise to each other that somehow, together, they would make more of themselves than the statistics indicated. Their journey was never easy, and it certainly had its detours, but Dr. Jenkins was a driving force so powerful that he convinced his two friends they should also become doctors. Together, the three young men attended Seton Hall University's Pre Medicine/Pre Dental Plus program, specifically designed to encourage minority students to pursue medical careers. The social and financial hardships that followed them through high school continued through college, making medical school sometimes seem impossible. But, with deeply rooted strength and a commitment to persevere, the three headed off, still together, to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, one step closer to becoming doctors.

The memory of that afternoon long ago in the dentist's office stays with Dr. Jenkins to this day. It was a moment that inspired him to achieve more than the environment around him thought was possible and that is the moment he now tries to inspire in others. Giving back to the community is an important pursuit for these young men, now known all over the world as The Three Doctors. Determined to stay close to their roots, they travel extensively to inner city communities, sharing both the positive and negative moments of their journey. Looking especially to reach the youth and families of these cities, Dr. Jenkins and his friends have become role models, encouraging education as the way to overcome difficult life circumstances.

Dr. Jenkins, along with Drs. Davis and Hunt, have co-authored a book, The Pact: Three Young Men Make A Promise and Fulfill A Dream, to chronicle their experiences. Released in May 2002, it spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. They have been profiled in People Magazine and Reader's Digest and on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in April 2000 they won the Essence Award 2000. To continue their legacy, the have established The Three Doctors Foundation, a not-for-profit organization providing health, education and mentoring opportunities to inner-city youth.

Dr. Jenkins is proudly back home in Newark, serving as a faculty member of Community Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.