1 of 2
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Jake Pratt rests his hand on a model UPS truck while sitting inside his home. The UPS staff gifted Pratt with a model truck on Dec. 24 after Pratt finished his holiday job with the company.
2 of 2
Photo courtesy of the Pratt family.
Jake Pratt holds up a jersey for Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and former quarterback at LSU, as he stands beside UPS driver Richard Wilson during a celebration for Pratt on Dec. 24 after Pratt finished his holiday term with UPS.
When Jake Pratt was born, a doctor told his mother he would never achieve anything, and he might need to be institutionalized because he was born with Down syndrome.
But over the past 22 years, Pratt has proven that doctor wrong.
Pratt has graduated from both Vestavia Hills High School and Clemson University, and he recently finished a seasonal job with UPS. Pratt also works at a golf course, and between the two jobs, he worked about 12 hours each day.
While the seasonal job ended in December, Pratt has recently begun another position with UPS, unloading items at a warehouse. His success hasn’t surprised his family.
“We were going to let Jake decide what Jake could do,” his sister, Amy Hyde, said. “Jake has always been so good at making his dreams come true, so nothing he does is ever a surprise.”
While he was working as a seasonal UPS employee, after cleaning the flag poles, taking out the trash and blowing the leaves and sanding off the greens at the golf course, Pratt would go scan and deliver UPS packages along with his driver, Richard Wilson. Wilson has been a “godsend,” Hyde said, and the pair carried heavy boxes together, went to Starbucks together and talked about sports, Pratt said.
“He’s the best UPS driver,” Pratt said.
Wilson said Pratt brought good conversation, lots of laughter and plenty of smiles to the job.
“It’s an amazing experience,” Wilson said. “He’s doing a great job. … He’s not letting anything hold him back.”
Seeing how hard Pratt worked pushes him to work even harder in his job, Wilson said.
Pratt and Wilson were able to spread some holiday cheer when they delivered packages during the month of December.
“It makes me happy,” Pratt said. “I say hey to them [people receiving packages] and happy holidays.”
Pratt has some neighbors who work for UPS, and they encouraged him to apply. But Pratt didn’t apply through any special program; he applied like anyone else would, Hyde said.
“We’re just so thankful to UPS for giving him this opportunity,” Hyde said.
Pratt worked five days a week with UPS and was off every other weekend. At the golf course, he works seven days one week, and then works five days the next week.
“It feels great to work 12 hours,” Pratt said. “I never get tired at all.”
Part of that work ethic came from Pratt’s time on the Vestavia Hills football team, where he served as a manager during his junior year and then became a player his senior year, and it was during that year he made the play of the season.
During a jamboree game against Briarwood in 2017, Pratt was pulled into the huddle by then-quarter-back Eli Sawyer, who told him the play call, which Pratt couldn’t recall later. But when Pratt got the handoff, he did what running backs coach Greg Smith told him to do: run straight and then go left.
Pratt scored a 34-yard touchdown and was congratulated by both teams. The video took off on social media, making Pratt a star overnight.
After graduating from high school, Pratt went to Clemson, where he worked at the football complex, a bagel shop and at the Clemson University Police Department. The latter came about after Pratt built friendships with police officers, with whom he often shared a meal. The Police Department created an internship for two Clemson LIFE students — the school’s program for students with intellectual disabilities — and Pratt was one of the first to receive a spot in the program.
Now that he’s working, Pratt said he’s saving up his money to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Grace Davis, who also graduated from Vestavia Hills, and is in her first year at Auburn University. The couple met at the high school, and their first date was when Davis asked Pratt to a Sadie Hawkins dance.
While Pratt said he misses her, Davis is able to come home a lot, and Pratt will also go see her at Auburn. While Clemson remains his favorite team, Auburn is a close second because of Davis, he said.
Hyde said the family is excited for the two to get married, and the goal is for them to live independently.
“I can’t wait,” Pratt said. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Pratt is also learning to drive, Hyde said. He got his driver’s permit last summer, making a perfect score on the test on his first attempt.
“It feels awesome to drive,” Pratt said.
Hyde said her brother’s success is a result of his determination to succeed in life. “It’s been because of Jake,” she said.
Pratt also inspires others and has helped families with young children who also have Down syndrome. While at Clemson, during an event sponsored by Ruby’s Rainbow, which provides scholarships to adults with Down syndrome, Pratt was able to sit and talk to a family with a young boy who had Down syndrome. A real-life example of overcoming adversity, Pratt was able to help the family as they began their journey, Hyde said.
After sharing her brother’s news about his UPS job, Hyde said she received messages from parents of children with special needs, and they tell her how encouraging it is to see him succeed, and how it gives them hope for their children as well. Hyde said it’s the kind of hope her mother needed after Pratt was born, and after her doctor delivered such a pessimistic outlook on his life.
Pratt’s goal is to keep moving up in his jobs, and he said he wants to work full-time at the golf course along with his UPS job. Hyde said while that may not be possible, it will be difficult for him to choose, as he truly enjoys both jobs. He also has good friends at both jobs and is well loved, Hyde said.
“Jake loves people, and people love Jake,” she said.
His relentless optimism and hard work also inspire his sister, she said.
“He just inspires me because he’s so dedicated,” Hyde said. “He never complains. There’s never a situation where he doesn’t have a positive outlook. … I just love watching Jake shine.”
