FORMER TEXAS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SPEAKS AT BLINN COLLEGE
Former Texas Supreme Court Justice David M. Medina remembers vividly the day a simple question from Blinn College Music Instructor Larry Campbell changed his life.
“He asked me if I wanted to come to college and play drums. At the time, I didn’t know if I was going to school or not,” Medina said. “My father had a job lined up for me but that involved climbing under houses and busting pipe. I knew I didn’t want to do that forever.”
Medina left his hometown of Hitchcock, Texas and enrolled at Blinn as a percussionist in the band. He was the first person in his family to attend college.
In 1978, he graduated with an Associates of Arts degree and transferred to Texas State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1980.
“My experience at Blinn was unbelievable,” Medina said Wednesday to more than 150 audience members in the Barbara L. Pearson Banquet Room. “You made a good decision to go to Blinn. It is a great foundation to get you where you want to be.”
In 1989, Medina earned his law degree from South Texas College of Law, taking classes at night while working full-time at Cooper Industries, Inc. Upon graduation he became an attorney for the company.
“I was just some kid from Hitchcock, and I got the job,” Medina said. “It was an honor. There were times in college where I didn’t know how I would pay for the next semester, but I just kept going and believing that I could do it.”
In 1996, Medina was appointed by Gov. George W. Bush to the 157th State District Court in Harris County, becoming the first Republican Hispanic justice elected in the county. He was re-elected for a second term in 1998.
In 2004, Medina was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as general counsel to the governor. That November, Perry appointed Medina to the Texas Supreme Court.
“It’s great to be here back at Blinn where it all started,” Medina said. “It set me on the path to bigger and better things. I want these students to know that they can find a way to get where they want to be. There’s always a way.”
Medina’s visit was hosted by Blinn’s Legal Assistant Program, which equips students for a variety of careers involving the law with an Associate in Applied Science degree or a Legal Office Certificate. Offered both online and in the classroom, courses are taught by a faculty comprised entirely of lawyers and judges.
The Legal Assistant Program will host an information meeting for potential students at 6 p.m. April 24 in Room 237 of the Student Center.
Blinn enrolled 18,413 students this Fall and has experienced 31.1 percent growth since 2006. Founded in 1883, the College’s tuition and fees average about one-third the cost of the same classes at most four-year public universities in the state. In addition to its campuses in Brenham, Bryan, Schulenburg and Sealy, the College teaches online courses, dual credit for high school and prepares students for quick employment through its career and technical certification programs.
For enrollment information and to learn about financial aid opportunities, visit: www.blinn.edu.
Story and photo courtesy of Blinn College.