🤘Student Spotlight: Sam Collins ’26

For this edition of Texas Law’s 2025-26 Student Spotlight series, meet 3L Sam Collins! 

Hometown: Houston
Degree: Bachelor of Science in economics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania 

Before starting law school, you worked full-time in the hospitality industry. How did that experience help prepare you for law school? 

I was an assistant director of finance at Marriott for about five years. On one hand, my work experience brought a seriousness to law school (“hey, you gave up a really good career in NYC to come here, so don’t screw it up!”), and on the other hand, it framed law school as a privilege (“be thankful … very few people get to completely pivot after establishing a career to pursue a dream”). Honestly, I could probably list 100+ different ways it helped.  

Tell us about your experience biking across the country.  

In the summer of 2014, I rode a bicycle 3,200 miles from Charleston, South Carolina, to Santa Monica, California, with 12 other students, averaging about 85 miles per day. During that time, no one had a cell phone, so we were truly removed from the outside world and committed to the journey. I learned not to get caught up in the day-to-day noise that distracts us from big-picture things in life. 

Tangentially, the trip became less about getting to the Pacific and more about the journey itself, which is similar to my law school experience. Just as those six weeks flew by, so has my time at Texas Law. While, as student, I sometimes want to hurry up and graduate, taking a moment to appreciate the law school journey has made my experience here even more special.  

What’s your best advice for 1Ls? 

Kindness is free and accrues with interest. A huge chunk of the class stays in Texas to practice law, and people will remember your attitude more than almost anything else, so be kind to your classmates and support them. Beyond being the right thing to do, it will make their day, you’ll feel good doing it, and it may even open doors in the distance future. 

Describe your favorite Texas Law moment. 

Other than getting accepted—one of my more memorable moments—was being president of the Texas Business Law Society when we hosted our transactional skills competition. The competition gives 1Ls a real-world glimpse into the life of a transactional attorney. Overseeing that event was especially rewarding because it allowed me to help prepare my classmates for future success. 

What has been the biggest surprise about living in Austin? 

It’s more contained than other big Texas cities, so it’s easier to get around than I expected. It’s as if Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., had a Texas baby! And surprisingly, the traffic isn’t that bad. 

How do you envision your life after Texas Law? 

Working in hospitality in New York City during COVID taught me that even the best-laid plans can change in an instant. After graduation, I’ll be in Houston working at Greenberg Traurig focusing on M&A and sports law. What will my life be like 10 or 15 years from now, I am not sure. However, whatever amazing life I create for myself will be largely because of my time here, so I’m certain I’ll be connected to Texas Law in some way, shape, or form.