[1] Kwenkeu attended a Catholic boarding school in Douala until 2012, when Etammane, who had moved to the United States two years earlier and worked as a hair stylist and nursing assistant, earned enough money to bring her son over.
While attending McDonough High School, Kwenkeu tried out for the football team as a sophomore, and excelled despite initially not knowing the game's rules.
[1] He scored his first college touchdown that year on a fumble return against the Akron Zips in a game where he also had two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, a performance that resulted in him winning an American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award.
[12] He was elevated to the active roster for Minnesota's Thursday Night Football game against the New England Patriots, making him the ninth Cameroonian to play in the NFL.
[19] Kwenkeu spoke very little English when he first arrived in the United States at age 14 and has credited football with helping him learn the language.