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Pritchett looks to gain perspective on African trip
A trip of a lifetime is just over the horizon for Mackenzie Pritchett.
A champion on the softball diamond for Nevada High School, Pritchett is zeroing in on completing her degree in Middle School Language Arts at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.
In conjunction with the university's School of Education department Pritchett, along with the Dean of Education and 10 others, will travel to Rwanda for an extended stay this summer in East Africa.
"We will immerse ourselves in the culture for a month, specifically looking through a lens of education and social justice issues," Pritchett told the Daily Mail, elaborating on the three-week Fulbright-Hays Scholarship trip.
Pritchett, a senior, is a member of the Dean's List who currently holds a 3.8 cumulative grade point average. She said she was overcome with excitement upon learning she was selected for the journey to a far off place.
"My initial emotion about this trip was pure joy and excitement," Pritchett reminisced. "Africa has been on my heart for a long time, and I never expected this opportunity to arise in such a way. A part of me is nervous to be out of the country for such an extended amount of time, but I know that God will always be with me."
Pritchett continued: "I am passionate about this trip because I feel like God truly opened the doors for two of my passions to collide. Growing up, I said that my dream would be to own my own orphanage in Africa. I pursued a teaching career just knowing that I loved people and wanted to make a difference."
Pritchett said she's looking to gain a first-hand perspective of the Rwandan culture.
"I hope to learn from another country's perspective, and their strategies to learning and school," she said. "Rwanda's history is fascinating, and gaining the first-hand experience of their culture I hope to be able to share with future students about what I learned. We will be creating a curriculum and lesson plans while there to share back in the U.S. So I am really excited about that."
Heart of a Champion
Pritchett was a key member of the Lady Tigers' 2010 Missouri Class 3 State championship softball team during her sophomore year at Nevada High.
"Oh gosh, I love that team," Pritchett gushed. "I still love each one of those girls. It still is, and always will be, one of my fondest memories."
In a dramatic comeback victory at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield, Nevada knocked off Boonville 4-3 in extra innings to claim the title.
"All the years, sweat, tears, and time together that we put in prior to that victory are still what make it so sweet," she said. "And what a game."
Pritchett said that, excluding the state championship-game victory, her next favorite memory from the 2010 season came during the regular-season home finale.
"Tiffani Long's walk-off hit was pretty sweet," Pritchett noted.
Pritchett added that many of her Lady Tiger teammates shared a special bond, having played together on the Nevada Dirt Dawgs' summer team, dating back to early elementary school.
"Eight of us from the state championship team played together, starting all the way back in second grade," said the 2013 NHS grad.
Pritchett said being a state champion is something that stays with you for life, and that the experience still seems surreal.
"I honestly just have to look back and laugh. We were just playing the game we had always played and kept winning. After every game, we were like, 'Okay, now what? What's next?' Nobody had done it before, coaches included," Pritchett said of the Lady Tigers' 23-5 state championship dream season. "So it was like a sweet mystery. The chemistry of that team, incredible; a sisterhood, if you will."
Collegiate accolades
Pritchett began her collegiate career at Crowder College in Neosho, were she was an All-Region second baseman her freshman and sophomore seasons. Pritchett then transferred to Avila, where she continued to stockpile accolades on the diamond.
As a junior in 2016, Pritchett was a standout for Avila. According to an Avila University press release, "Pritchett earned First Team All-Conference honors, as well as a Rawlings Gold Glove, for her play at second base in her first season with the Eagles after transferring from Crowder College."
The Avila press release also stated, "Pritchett had a stellar campaign in her first season with the Eagles. The junior transfer was the only Eagles player to appear in all 57 games, batting .337 with a team-leading .456 on-base percentage, while batting primarily out of the leadoff spot.
"Pritchett led the team with 44 runs scored and 36 stolen bases, and her 33 walks also led all Eagles in 2016."
Pritchett's contributions helped lead Avila to 35 victories, the most in program history, according to the release.
Pritchett's mother, Marcy Fischer, is a sixth-grade Language Arts teacher at Nevada Middle School, while her younger brother Trey is a freshman at Coffeyville Community College (Kan).