Artichokes can do ANYTHING! Jose Delgado, Hootology (Artichoke Alum)

Artichoke alum Jose Delgado shares his experience at SCC, the academic and professional opportunities that followed, and offers a little advice for recent high school graduates. This is the first in a series of notable SCC graduates — because nothing’s tougher than an Artichoke!

Artichokes can do ANYTHING!

Jose Delgado is a partner and the Vice President of Partner Success at Hootology, a company that modernizes market research for Fortune 500s and global organizations to help them better understand their customers. Hootology incorporates modern technology and consumer psychology into their research design and data interpretations.

Jose is also a professor at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, where he teaches contract drafting. Additionally, he works at a small law firm in Tucson doing contract and general business law. Lastly, he’s a strength and conditioning coach at a local gym, where he teaches a number of classes and leads a local running group. And it all started at Scottsdale Community College.

Jose was born and raised in a small Montana town. Both his parents were lifelong educators. During his senior year of high school, his father suggested that Jose visit Arizona over spring break. His dad had a hunch he’d like the area — in the 70s, he’d played baseball for Mesa Community College before transferring to Gonzaga University.

During his trip, Jose visited ASU and SCC. He loved Scottsdale Community College’s campus and decided to return for his freshman year in 2002. The Western Undergraduate Exchange program provided a reduced out-of-state tuition, and attending SCC for his general education classes offered further savings when compared to a four-year university. But the real selling point that swayed Jose to attend SCC before transferring to ASU were the small, intimate class sizes.

“Going to SCC and having the ability to take my gen-ed classes in a group of 25, as opposed to hundreds, was really beneficial, at least to me and my learning style,” Jose said. “I really enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

He studied Marketing at SCC and ASU, and landed a position with the Phoenix Suns after graduation in 2006. He worked on strategic accounts in sales and marketing and had frequent contact with the Suns’ attorney on legal agreements and contracts. This sparked his interest in law. Jose took the LSAT and applied to law school. He attended the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, graduating at the top of his class in 2013. He worked for a Phoenix law firm, then took a year off to travel to Guatemala with his fiancée, Shaelyn. They married abroad and returned to Tucson, where Jose partnered with Stefanie Francis, Hootology’s founder. (Jose’s wife is also a partner in the firm.)

His experience at SCC helped Jose develop excellent study habits that propelled him through future educational programs. Because classes were small, he found his professors very accessible. “For those early classes, being able to stick around after the end of class and ask questions and get feedback … that was really helpful, especially just developing those habits early on … I definitely ended up being that person in law school.” Jose liked the availability of and interaction with the faculty. “The intimate nature of the experience is what stands out most to me.”

When asked if he had any advice for his 18-year-old self, Jose laughed and nodded. “It’s never going to be perfect,” he said. “You’re going to make mistakes.” According to Jose, perfectionism has caused him stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights. “But most mistakes can be fixed.”