Area of Service: IT
Years of Service: 14 years as Texas Wesleyan Law and Texas A&M Law
Who has influenced you the most when it comes to work? Share three takeaways.
I was taught by my father to remove the phrases, I can’t or I don’t know. The takeaway is not to give up when things are hard and to always seek knowledge and understanding in areas that you lack knowledge.
I was taught by my mother that working seven days a week, nights and weekends was normal for 40 hours of pay. My mother also told me frequently that life is not fair, but you need to control what you can control. You can always control your work ethic.
The last but most important came from my grandmother. She would say what’s done in the dark will come to the light. What I take from this is when you are working on projects alone and spending time away from work caring about your job and think you are not getting credit, keep working hard. What you do in the dark will soon come to light.
Describe your law school tenure in three words:
- Exciting
- Impactful
- Encouraging
If you could keep only three apps on your phone, what would they be?
- E*Trade
- CNN
Do you have a favorite Texas A&M Aggie Core Value?
Definitely, leadership. It's my favorite because I had and still have great leaders around me, starting with my paternal grandparents who were educators in a small east Texas town when it wasn't popular to be so. Not having solutions or not being self-assured just isn't acceptable.
What was your favorite tv show growing up?
The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno. My cousin and I would wrestle when we were little, and before we would start a "match," I'd do my own transformation just like Bill Bixby. LOL. I competed regionally in high school wrestling. Maybe that mindset helped me win.
I also loved the A-Team and Knight Rider.
Share something that few people know about you.
I was a high scorer on the SAT and was in the top 10 percent of the nation.
What about this past year made an impression?
The law school had an online forum for faculty, staff and students to process the George Floyd murder. On it, I talked about how racial bias is commonplace for me and other people of color. I'm shocked about how many people on the call reacted to an experience I had cutting my lawn. Someone driving by asked me how much I charged for my services. He assumed that I didn't own the home.Whereas that may be a reason to shout for others, it's a shame that I'm used to it. I knew even more so then that we have to talk about racial inequities to heal and move forward as a country.
Texas A&M School of Law continues to reset expectations, climbing to the 53rd ranked law school in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. "Our staff fuel the engine," says Dean Robert B. Ahdieh. Get the facts and learn more about the law school's journey.