A mentor making a difference

Jason Pritchett was raised knowing the importance of community. 

Since moving to the Valley in 2006, the Virginia native has kept himself busy outside of his work as a successful attorney at a local firm in Scottsdale, where his diverse experience in litigation and the corporate world has helped him thrive in negotiations and in the courtroom. He has served as a Phoenix Thunderbird with the WM Phoenix Open, as a Make-A-Wish Arizona board member and as an Honorary Commander at Luke's Air Force Base. He is also happily married with three children.

But Jason felt he had even more to give — that his community could benefit from more of his time and service.

"I would have to give a lot of credit to family and my parents for teaching us the value of community. You are nothing without your community," Jason said. "Your community means so much to shape who you are. It's all about service, it's all about gratitude, and it's all about being responsible."

After researching different community-based organizations, Jason felt inspired to give back through St. Vincent de Paul and its First-Generation Scholarship Program. The program goes far beyond financial support for first-generation college students. It's known for its comprehensive, relationship-based model designed to meet scholars where they are and support them through one-on-one mentoring. The mentorship aspect is what sparked Jason's interest, especially if he could help a student population that often comes from low-income families and faces balancing work responsibilities, paying family bills and navigating socio-economic pressures as a college student. 

"They lead by example and that's very important to me at this stage of my life," he said. "The titles don't mean anything. It's the actual work you put in and do. I see their willingness to roll up their sleeves and put boots on the ground, and that means a lot to me." 

He quickly volunteered to mentor scholars and took a special interest in William Bolanos, a mentee he recognized needed some extra support and encouragement.

"William was trying to balance working with his father's construction business, being a translator on jobs and going to school full-time. He was struggling. He was drowning, his confidence was shot," Jason said. "What we did was sit down, figure out where he (William) wants to be in the next two to three years. We came up with a plan of how we could get there."

Jason learned about William's passion for construction and saw opportunity to use some of his connections to help William land an internship with one of the Valley's biggest homebuilders.

Life has made a big u-turn for William. The struggles, worries and problems are no longer prevalent, and William is thankful for the help, guidance and mentorship Jason provided.

"I can tell he's a really hard-working person," William said. "He's really responsible and wants to help me out with my goals and to achieve my goals as well," he continued. "Having the guidance to help prepare me for real life experience and also for college experience helped me a lot." 
Jason is thrilled to see the change and progress William has made.

“With a little bit of guidance, and a little bit of encouragement, and building that confidence — that’s they all need. The results are endless. You literally get to see a flower bloom right in front of you,” Jason said. “It motivates me to say, ‘If I can make that change in one person's life, who knows how far that can go?’ I'm humbled, and I'm grateful for the opportunity, I'm also still motivated to continue to keep making that change.”