That gate-keeper model path to success, or advancement.
And everyone he's passed through successfully will obviously sing praises of that model.

Your described mentor experiences, I can't help but think about this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op-ed https://bit.ly/2Zl1NCT from earlier this week, where the anonymous writer is admonishing Robert Smith and his gift--explicitly done in the spirit of community and cooperation as a model forward.
The writer's opinion highlights a prevalent idea where people who've achieved some success, or above average financial means, hold on to false notions of their own self-pulling bootstraps. When the opposite is always true, at least to a degree, even if they ignore, forget, or look past the help they've had.
Post-Gazette writer - "his impulse was to share the bounty of his own hard work, achievement and, perhaps, a bit of luck."
In the referenced commencement speech Smith explains very directly he attributes his success to advantages he's been provided. The writer misses the overt intention to build better community of people helping people.

Anyway, we have a summer intern who I generally avoid, I need to start being proactive for the greater good.