Originally from the Dallas area, 3L Jordan Firebaugh always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. When she moved to Houston nearly a decade ago to pursue an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of Houston, it was with full intent of ending up at law school. Once she arrived at South Texas College of Law Houston, this self-starting student quickly began making an impact and became known for high achievement and active engagement.
Read more about Firebaugh and her commitment to student leadership below:
What drove you to pursue law?
I’ve always known I wanted to be a lawyer. I went the political science route knowing I would end up at law school. As clichéd as it sounds, the phrase “the voice for the voiceless” struck a chord in me. It’s part of human nature to make mistakes. No one’s perfect, right? Anyone can have a bad day. I don’t think that one mistake or one bad day should define the trajectory of your whole life.
Why did you join the Women’s Law Society?
When I got here in Spring 2023, there was this powerhouse of a woman on campus named Anna Pham, who was the sitting WLS president at the time. She had a voice, people listened to her, and she was able to make such an impact on both the WLS and the school. She was just so inspiring; I was amazed by her. I wanted to be just like her, so I approached her and said, “I see how much you’re getting out of law school. What should I do?” She encouraged me to get involved, run for positions in organizations, and of course join the Women’s Law Society. She ended up becoming a mentor to me, and we still talk to this day.
How did you become president?
I’ve always been a hit-the-ground-running kind of person. As a 1L, you’re encouraged to lay the groundwork first. Walk before you can run. But my personality says, “No, I’m going to fly.” So, three months into law school, I joined WLS and immediately campaigned for vice president. My hope was to get the position, learn the ropes, and eventually run for president. Then, the organization came back after elections and told me that I hadn’t won the role of vice president- I’d won the presidency.
President as a 1L… what happened from there?
They eventually ended up going “Wait, time out, you need to be in good academic standing to run, and you don’t even have a GPA yet!” Which was understandable. So, I couldn’t take on the role, but after getting my grades the following semester I became a representative for the organization. Even though I had to take a step back, it gave me the chance to really observe what goes into running an organization. The next year I came back, ran for president, and I won.
What does life as the president look like for you?
I help organize events, run our social media alongside our Social Chair, and oversee any kind of communication between the organization and its members. I do a lot in my role, but a president is only as good as the board that comes with it. I would be nowhere without my board. Those six women are my support system. And the foundation of the organization had kind of been built for me. There have been previous WLS boards who have taken WLS and loved it and invested in it, and a group can really flourish with a board like that. As proud as I am of what I’ve done, I had an organization handed to me that was already thriving. I just get to expand on it.
What kind of events does the WLS put on?
We host all kinds of events, from discussion panels with experienced attorneys, to volunteering, to self-defense classes. One of our biggest events is with the Houston Women’s Center every October, in honor of both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We collect donations and get them set up with toiletries, clothes, things like that. We also do fun, girly stuff, like our annual Galantine’s Day Brunch. It’s a great organization.
What accomplishment are you most proud of in your time with the organization?
When we were still just representatives, fellow board member Amaya and I created what is now our annual Women’s History Month Panel. Each year we partner up with the Agosto Justice Center for Leadership and Empowerment to do a panel focusing on breaking the glass ceiling, climbing the ladder, just laying that foundation for women in the field. We bring in women from across the profession and give people the chance to see these incredible, empowering women speak. We even brought back Anna Pham to speak at one of our panels. She made such an impact on me, and I wanted her to continue making that impact on the future generations of female attorneys. It’s something we’ve started that I hope to see continue.
I heard you’re also in leadership with another student organization as well.
I am also the vice president of the Criminal Law Society. I ran for vice-president of CLS and President of WLS simultaneously during my second semester as a 2L. It’s a heavy workload doing both at once, but I have the honor and privilege of law school being my full-time job, so I’ve been able to really sink my teeth into these orgs and give them my full focus.
What motivates you to be such a leader?
I’m very Type-A. Plenty of people in law school are, but I’ve always wanted to be in leadership roles, wanted to make an impact. That’s why I’ve enjoyed being involved in student leadership here at South Texas Law. The faculty and staff allow me to speak up and have a voice because they want to hear what I have to say. I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of Kirk Guillory and Student Engagement.
What has been the most gratifying part of this experience?
I love being able to pay it forward. I get to pour into this organization and its members what was poured into me. I can say that come graduation, I will look back on my law school experience and know I got everything out of it that I put into it. It’s been incredible.
Original source can be found here.