On May 2, 2024, Entrepreneur, Chairman/CEO, and Author Gary M. Kusin revisited the Texas High Campus to share advice with those who have interest in business career paths in the John Thomas Performing Arts Center lobby.
Kusin discusses with the students how his experience here at Texas High shaped his character and outlook on his career.
“Mrs. Hamilton took a piece of paper out, literally showed me a piece of paper and said ‘see this piece of paper? Why don’t you start writing down what you got to get done today. And every time you get it done, draw a line through it,’ my life got so easy, because I knew what I had to do in between classes at lunch after school and I was just competitive enough that I enjoyed knocking stuff off the list,” Kusin said. “But that changed my life, I carried it around as I spent over 25 years as CEO of one company or another. I was never without something in my top pocket.”
Student Council coordinator Susan Waldrep relates to Kusin’s stories about Margaret Hamilton on campus many years ago.
When he talked about Mrs. Hamilton, I remembered that she was here when I was here,” Waldrep said. “She ran Texas High, and the student council was a completely different organization back then than what it is now.”
In addition to sharing his personal experiences here on the campus, Kusin provided the listeners with valuable business insights and criticism during the conference along with his personal experiences in the industry and how they relate to the business narrative.
“First of all, don’t be married to anything,” Kusin said. “Your view of everything is based on where you are right now and because of that, I would want to be well educated about all areas of the world, their histories and the current issues we’re facing. You’ll never become a great investor If you don’t have a good sense of not only the flow of history but the flow of what’s happening right now.”
Waldrep recognizes the importance of Kusin’s visit on campus and the impact it poses on future business majors and aspiring entrepreneurs.
“I think Cousin’s visit here was extremely impactful for many reasons,” Waldrep said. “He gave insight into a business philosophy that we don’t get to see because he’s lived it. He’s been on numerous boards, he’s done things with companies that I can only imagine.”
