Current Position:
Senior Counsel for Business and Legal Affairs, NBC Sports Group
Q: How often do you and your mentee talk?
We are scheduled to talk every other Monday, and one way or another we keep to that. Lately we’ve adjusted our times due to her preparing to take the LSATS, so we keep in contact as needed. We also text message if we’re pressed for time.
Q: Do you find it difficult to find common ground due to a generation difference?
The first thing I do is to tell them to stop calling me “Mr. Houston.” Considering that I am older and more experienced, I try to make it a big brother-type of role in which we relate to each other. I strive for a good friend-type of communication, which makes the mentoring more individual and less formal.
Q: What motivated you to become a mentor?
I have always been compelled to give back. I had a lot of strong, positive role models who weren’t necessarily mentors, but who were people I looked up to. They gave me direction and help, which has made me want to assisting young people who want to follow a similar path. This setting for a mentorship was a no-brainer for me to get involved and it was another opportunity for me to stay in touch with the university.
Q: What is most fulfilling about your mentor/mentee relationship?
The most rewarding part is when the student graduates and goes on to do what it is they set out to do. I enjoy it when everything my mentee sets out to do, happens for them.
My mentees will often look to me like “wow, you made this happen!” but all I did was bring to their attention the things they already had. I know that the student made it happen, even if they hadn’t worked with me, and they would have made it without me. I like to see them get the reward they were going after.