“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find
it along the way.” - that quote is from the character Michael Scott, of The Office. Fortunately I
prepared myself for this speech. My name is Houston Kocher, and I’m a freshman majoring in
Political Science with a concentration in pre-law. I was born and raised about an hour northwest
of here in the city of Enid, Oklahoma.
I played golf at Enid High School all four years I was there, qualifying for state my
sophomore year. I played against some of the best high school golfers in the state at that
tournament. Unfortunately I didn’t play to the best of my ability due to nerves, and how tough the
course was. Playing golf taught me many things, including etiquette, how to keep my emotions
in check, and how to talk to people.
Besides golf I also volunteered for Growing Hope Network. The Growing Hope Network
works to rehabilitate criminals who have been convicted of domestic violence. They work to
rehabilitate these people into an everyday American life. I found my passion for this based on
my belief that everyone deserves a second a chance. What is broken can be fixed. This
nonprofit helped me discover my passion for helping others.
This passion led me to want to pursue a career in criminal defense law in the future.
Every person deserves a second chance, such as the chance to be proven innocent before
deemed guilty. I plan to finish my undergraduate studies in political science here at OSU and
eventually attend law school at the University of Oklahoma.
Before I began the college application process Oklahoma State was not in serious
consideration for me. I originally wanted to go to The University Of Texas At Austin. I toured my
top three schools I was accepted into. OU, OSU, and UT. Oklahoma State’s campus blew me
away. I liked the friendliness of the people here, the facilities, and the proximity to home. Seeing
the student union made me realize the greatness of this campus. When I saw the student union
I realized that OSU is not afraid to invest in it’s students. The first time I came here for a football
game, the atmosphere was something I’d never felt before. There was some kind of magic in
the air here in Stillwater.
Like that quote at the beginning, when I began preparing for this speech I had no idea
what I wanted to talk about. My motto is to go with and adjust to the flow of everyday life. Kind of
like this speech flowed out of me. To conclude, my life experiences such as golf, and
volunteering for a non profit have shaped my future into what I’m trying to do now. Golf helped
me learn persistence and taught me how to lose in a professional way. Volunteering for the
Growing Hope Network showed me what I want to do for my career. Everything I’ve done or
learned in the past has shaped me into the man I am today. I look forward to learning about you
guys and meeting you guys this semester! Thanks for your time.