Blackburn Mentoring offers one-on-one mentoring and coaching for teens 13 and up, college students and young adults, by video anywhere in Arizona and in person in Los Angeles, and has been mentoring since 2014. The first step is a free 20 minute intro call; after that, you are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.

Best for:

A teen whose days drift into screens, with little they are building
A college student who keeps missing deadlines despite knowing the material
A young adult working toward a first job, a move out or a return to school
Families who want a mentor who meets by video, with parent updates when needed

Families and young adults anywhere in Arizona can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Most of Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, which means it matches Los Angeles in summer and runs an hour ahead in winter. The Navajo Nation in the northeast observes daylight saving time, and we schedule in whichever local time a client actually keeps.

The clock question, answered first

Because Arizona skips daylight saving, families here get used to the rest of the country shifting around them twice a year. We handle that on our side. Your session stays at the time you picked on your clock; the mentor adjusts. That is especially useful for students with fixed practice and school schedules, and for professionals who already juggle calls across time zones.

A big state with two large metros

Arizona’s population is concentrated in the Phoenix metro, the Valley of the Sun, which spreads across Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and Peoria. Tucson, to the south, is the second hub, with its own distinct desert culture. Outside those two, distances open up fast:

Flagstaff and the high country, cooler, pine-covered and home to a university campus.
Prescott and the Verde Valley, popular with families and retirees.
Yuma in the southwest corner, a center of winter vegetable farming.
Tribal nations, which cover a large part of the state, including the Navajo Nation in the northeast.

For a student in Show Low or a young adult in Lake Havasu City, the right in-person mentor might be hours away. Video makes that irrelevant.

What drives the economy

Arizona’s economy has diversified well beyond its old reliance on copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate. Today it includes semiconductor manufacturing and advanced electronics, health care systems, financial services and back-office operations, aerospace and defense, construction and real estate tied to steady population growth, and tourism from the Grand Canyon to resort towns. Agriculture still matters, especially in Yuma and the central valleys.

Plenty of young adults move to the Valley for jobs and a lower cost of living than the coasts. Moving to a new city for work is a classic moment when a mentor helps: building a routine, a budget and a social life from scratch.

Schools, choice and higher education

Arizona is known for broad school choice. Alongside traditional public districts, the state has a large charter school sector, independent and religious schools, and many families who use open enrollment or education savings accounts to pick a school. That flexibility is useful, but it also means students change schools more often, and each change resets routines.

After high school, the state’s public universities run large campuses in metro Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, and they draw a lot of students from other states, particularly California. Community colleges across the metros offer a common route into those universities. See mentoring for community college students if that is your student’s path.

What that means for students and young adults

High schoolers juggling school, club sports and summer heat that flips daily routines indoors. A parent or guardian is always part of the plan: mentoring for high school students.
College students on very large campuses, where it is easy to get lost in a lecture of hundreds: mentoring for college students.
Students who came from out of state and are building a life far from family. Parents elsewhere can stay informed with the student’s permission.
Young adults and professionals new to the Valley or ready for a next step: young adult mentoring.

Pages for areas in Arizona

For more on how sessions run, see online mentoring and our page for families. Other states are on the mentoring by state page.

Growing up and getting started in Arizona

Arizona’s calendar is shaped by heat. Many districts start the school year in late July or early August, outdoor practices move to dawn or after dark through the hottest months, and the summer monsoon brings dust storms and sudden downpours. Winter is the busy season: visitors and seasonal residents arrive, golf courses and resorts hire, and that is when many teens and college students pick up the most hours.

Across the Valley, daily life runs on freeways. A student living in Queen Creek, Buckeye or Surprise and attending a campus in the middle of the metro may spend an hour or more in the car each way, and many college students live at home to save on rent. Early careers often begin in health care, construction and the skilled trades, financial services and customer operations, and the growing semiconductor and electronics plants, which hire technicians as well as engineers. Housing costs have climbed with the population, so many young adults share rentals longer than they expected, and a large number of families are recent arrivals with no extended family nearby.

What Arizona families and young adults often find themselves working through

A freshman commuting across the Valley to a huge campus who never quite connects to campus life.
A high schooler whose summer turns nocturnal because the heat keeps everyone indoors all day.
A graduate in Tucson or Flagstaff deciding whether to follow jobs to the Phoenix metro or stay put.
A young adult weighing a technician training program against a four-year degree in a field with a long runway.
A family that moved from another state and is learning the school choice system from scratch.

Arizona keeps Mountain Standard Time all year (the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving), and we schedule video sessions on the clock you actually keep; in-person sessions are offered only in Los Angeles. Students who live at home and drive in should read our guide for commuter college students, and anyone eyeing a technical path can start with choosing a trade. Arizona residents may also qualify for regional tuition exchanges at public campuses in other western states; rules change, so check official sources and our regional tuition discounts guide. Area pages: Phoenix and Scottsdale and Tucson.

Common questions

Does Arizona’s lack of daylight saving time affect session times?

Not for you. Sessions stay at the time you chose on your Arizona clock all year. In summer that is the same as Los Angeles time; in winter Arizona is one hour ahead.

We live on the Navajo Nation. Which time do you use?

The Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time, so we schedule in the time you actually keep. Just tell us on the assessment or intro call.

My child is coming to Arizona for college from another state. Can you help?

Yes. A mentor can work with the student by video in Arizona and, with permission, share progress with parents back home.

Do you meet in person in Phoenix?

No. Our team is in Los Angeles, and Arizona clients work with their mentor entirely by video, with text and phone contact between sessions.

Get started

Want to talk through what your student or young adult needs? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.

Last updated November 2, 2026.

Book a free intro call Text us

Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.

Online Mentoring and Coaching in Arizona