PRESIDENT'S COLUMN DAVID COURREGES, UNIVERSITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
It's a Wonderful Life
M
y most favorite holiday movie of all time is unequivocally one of the greatest works in cinematic history. The story is that of a conflicted businessman whose life is changed by a series of events culminating in a bountiful cavalcade of seasonal spirit that leaves the viewer with an ensuing feeling of fullness of heart. Beloved by many, if not all, that movie is, of course, Elf. Also moderately high on my list is the Frank Capra masterpiece It’s a Wonderful Life, which is based on the short story “The Greatest Gift” by Phillip Van Doren Stern … which is based on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. If you don’t know the story, a conflicted businessman’s life is changed by a series of events that culminate in a bountiful
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… cavalcade … of … seasonal ... spirit .... Though in reality Dickens intended his novella to be a commentary on the social attitudes of his fellow countrymen toward poverty—a truly important topic—for the purpose of this article we’re going to stick with the theme of life-changing events. I do so because a few weeks ago I was asked an oddly specific question by a future lawyer: “What are the three most significant events that shaped your leadership journey?” Well, here they are!
EVENT #1: Mr. Speaker As I may or may not have disclosed previously and will undoubtedly pontificate upon again, I was painfully shy as a child. My introversion persists, but it was never more evident than the entirety of my first year at The University of Texas. Prior to attending the University, the largest class I had ever been a part of consisted of 76 students— the entire China Spring High School Class of 1995. A close second was a government class I took at McLennan Community College, with maybe 30 students. Suddenly, every class I was in
AUSTINLAWYER | DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
A few weeks ago I was asked an oddly specific question by a future lawyer: “What are the three most significant events that shaped your leadership journey?” had a minimum of 100 students, and those were the ones designed to be more “intimate.” By my third semester I hadn’t found my place in college and really hadn’t forged a path on which to build a future. That changed in the spring of 1999, when I enrolled in Dr. Janice May’s Legislative Simulation Course, which focused on the Texas House of Representatives. Dr. May’s class was one of those “fun” courses that most government majors wanted to take—as evidenced by the 200-student enrollment and an equally large wait list. In the class, each student was assigned a role, including members of the House, lobbyists, the press, administrative staff, and more. We were to research each position and engage as though we were that person. When I showed up to my second class, I learned that I
was assigned a role as a member of the House. During the same class, we, the members of the House, were expected to come together and elect a Speaker who would preside over the class for the balance of the semester. I still believe it was intended as a cruel joke, or at the very least an act of indifference, but my friends Alice May and Matt Gulledge decided at the last second that they would nominate me—and I won! Over the next four months, I learned how to speak to large groups without fear, negotiate, and really love the legislative process. Most importantly, the class laid the foundation for a career that I have really enjoyed. There is significantly more to this story, including an infamous interview, an internship, and a career in and around the Texas Legislature, but I reserve that for another day.
