Young Man With Down Syndrome Proves Naysayers Wrong, Lands His First Job With Delivery Company

Dec 07, 2021 by apost team

A chance – that’s all everyone wants at some point in their life. They want to be given the chance to show that they are capable of a job or a task or whatever is being asked of them. Sadly, not everyone is given this opportunity to fully show off their talents and abilities, proving just what they are really capable of. 

For Jake Pratt, all he ever wanted was a chance to show that he could do anything he set his mind to. Pratt is from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, and has accomplished a lot in his life. He set high standards for himself and never stopped working hard at reaching all his dreams and goals. Whenever he was given the chance to try something new, Pratt went above and beyond. All he needed was to be given the opportunity to take on more responsibilities to help him continue to grow.

Throughout his life, Pratt has been looked at as an underdog due to his disability. However, he has consistently proven just how capable he is at everything he does. He was born with Down syndrome and has never let his disability stand in the way of achieving anything he set his mind on. 

After showing great promise and potential in high school, Pratt went on to make his mark as a working man in multiple job fields. Back in December 2020, Pratt took an extra step in his personal development and landed his first job with UPS. Read on to find out more about his inspiring life story.

Pratt is a 21-year-old man who has accomplished a lot throughout his life, and he’s still in the process of making even more moves and growing more as a person. According to WVTM 13, he has always gone above and beyond whenever it came to trying anything. If Pratt put his mind to something, it would bound to happen.

During his high school years, he played on his school’s football team and later graduated from high school. He also obtained his driver’s permit, according to WVTM 13. Pratt, who has Down syndrome, continued to push himself as he went on to achieve more amazing accomplishments. He graduated from college and went on to obtain not just one, but two jobs.

WVTM 13 reported that Pratt’s first job was working maintenance at a golf course from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. every single day during the week. Rather than leave this job when he acquired a second one, Pratt decided to stick with both and show just how determined he was to showcase his amazing work ethic.

In December 2020, Pratt also landed a job at UPS. According to WVTM 13, the 21-year-old is not driving any of the company’s trucks, but he is working hard at delivering packages to people’s doorsteps. On top of that, he is working up to eight hours a day and sometimes even walking up to 15,000 steps a day. With so much manual labor, one might think that the job would be incredibly tiring or draining, but Pratt has done everything with a huge smile on his face. 

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Pratt has found a few innovative ways to balance all of his newfound responsibilities that come with having two jobs. According to WVTM 13, he makes his lunch the night before each workday, helping his morning routine go as smoothly as possible. He also makes sure to pick out all of his clothes the night before and gets a good night’s rest, too, to have as much energy as he can for his busy day ahead.

After landing his job with UPS, the company was more than happy to congratulate Pratt on his new position. On Dec. 2, 2020, the company posted on Twitter: “Welcome to the UPS family, Jake! We’re lucky to have you on the team.”

It’s clear that Pratt has made a real difference at his place of work, as the company uploaded a video on YouTube in May 2021 showing just how much everyone appreciated him and his work ethic. “Jake’s always been raised to be responsible, work hard,” Pratt’s mother, Kathy Pratt, said. “We’ve always had high expectations of him since he was a child.”

Amy Hyde, Pratt’s sister, talked about how he’s reached his goals. “Jake decides that he wants to do something, he sets a goal and he does whatever he has to do to achieve that goal,” she said. “He’s always been like that.”

Graham Sisson is the executive director of the Governor’s Office on Disability in Alabama, and is also the state’s deputy attorney general. Speaking about Pratt’s job with UPS, he said, “UPS did not judge Jake by his disability. They judged him by his ability.”

What do you think about this man’s inspirational life story and what he’s accomplished so far? Let us know, and feel free to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.