Omari Pearson Receives Award For Exemplary Service From Potomac School

MCLEAN, VA — The Potomac School awarded its third annual Award for Exemplary Service to Omari Pearson, founder of Passion to Purpose, a mentoring company that aims to inspire and empower students.

Pearson received the award during a school-wide assembly on Friday, Jan. 12 honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Pearson founded Passion to Purpose in 2010, after playing collegiate and professional basketball. The organization provides career counseling and mentoring services.

Over the last 14 years, he has partnered with high schools, colleges, and universities, working with an estimated 300,000 students to help them plan for their future by making informed, research-based decisions.

The Potomac School’s annual Award for Exemplary Service recognizes people in the wider community who are making an important difference through service to others.

READ ALSO: Potomac School Honors Amanda Marshall With Exemplary Service Award

The Potomac School, on a 90-acre campus in McLean, is an independent coeducational day school that with 1,066 students in grades K-12.

Amanda Marshall, founder of Fair Chance and co-founder of Families4Families, received the Award for Exemplary Service in 2023. Ericc Powell, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland, was the recipient of the school's inaugural Award for Exemplary Service in 2022.

Based in the D.C. area, Pearson works with Montgomery County Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Baltimore County Public Schools, and a variety of colleges, in addition to serving as a consultant and trainer to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“Mr. Pearson’s story and his dedication to helping the youth is inspiring. As he would tell you, statistically, he was not supposed to have become an author, entrepreneur, professional athlete, proud father, or mentor,” said James Hightower III, Potomac’s director of community engagement. “But he did — and he wants to help others do the same.”

In 2010, Person’s book, "Keys to Rebuilding Your Foundation," was published. Since then, it has grown into a curriculum that is serving students across the United States.

“Often times we start with a dream, and we never really think about how the legacy of what we chase will position those that will follow us,” Pearson said upon receiving the award from The Potomac School. “Am I blazing a trail only for myself to follow? If we do that, we miss the whole opportunity of service. To serve, means that I am now willing to let others stand on my shoulders.”

Pearson also challenged The Potomac School community to look for small acts of service they can act on each day.

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