Published July 14th, 2026

The Interview I Didn't Know I Needed

July 2025

One conversation can change an entire story.

In July 2025, I attended a five-day mediation training program to become a trained mediator. I spent all five days too intimidated to introduce myself to anyone. Most of the people in the room were experienced attorneys in their 50s and 60s and here I am a 20-year-old college student aspiring to become an attorney. On the last day of the training, I decided I was going to introduce myself to at least one person. As I scanned the room, Ronald Rivera caught my attention. He was younger than many of the other attorneys, had tattoos, and was the only Hispanic attorney. Being Hispanic myself, I immediately felt a sense of familiarity. I remember thinking, “maybe we have something in common”. 

So I gathered the courage to walk over and introduce myself.

I told Ronald that I hoped to become a first-generation attorney and one day attend SMU School of Law. I told him that one of my biggest struggles wasn't the LSAT, it was having to build my own professional network from the ground up. I didn't come from a family of attorneys, and I was worried about making the right connections and finding mentors along the way.

Ronald understood me perfectly.

He shared that he was also a first-generation Hispanic attorney. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, he chose to move to Dallas to begin his legal career. Looking back, he told me he probably would have built a stronger professional network had he stayed in Austin, where the alumni community was already established and many of his classmates remained. Instead, he had to build his career from scratch in a new city. Later, he made another move to Lubbock, where he once again found himself rebuilding relationships and professional connections.

That conversation changed the way I looked at networking.

Before we parted ways, Ronald encouraged me not to get discouraged. He told me that my greatest asset would always be my mind. He encouraged me to keep learning, become as smart as possible, and be tenacious. We exchanged phone numbers and parted ways. 

A few months later, I was writing a story about the use of Zoom in Lubbock courtrooms after the COVID-19 Pandemic. My original plan was to interview attorneys and ask whether they liked or disliked virtual hearings and how it changed court proceedures.

I remembered Ronald and reached out to see if he would be willing to speak with me.

When we began our interview, I learned something I hadn't known during our first conversation. He had previously served as a Magistrate Judge in Lubbock and had recently moved back to Austin.

At that moment, my story completely changed.

All of the pre-prepared questions I had written were completely thrown out the window. What I expected to be a quick 30-minute interview to gather one or two quotes turned into a conversation that lasted more than an hour.

Instead of simply asking whether Zoom was good or bad for court hearings, I was able to explore the issue through the perspective of someone who had experienced the judicial system as both an attorney and a judge.

His insights became the foundation of my story and completely changed the direction of my reporting.

What I Learned

I learned that I'm a work in progress, and every conversation is an opportunity. I need to speak to everyone because, even if they don't become a source today, they may become the person who changes the direction of one of my stories tomorrow. 

Sometimes the best source for your story isn't someone you meet while you're reporting, sometimes it's someone you had the courage to meet long before the story ever existed.