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Drew Bushman '10

Drew Bushman '10
Drew Bushman '10

At the end of last year I opened my own estate planning law firm serving families with minor children—The Bushman Law Firm. As some of you may know, I was orphaned as a kid, so I love helping families protect and provide for the people they care about and build a legacy worth leaving them. It has been wonderful to build a business that allows me to be myself, while also really helping people and providing a wonderful life for my wife and our 4 daughters.

Where do/did you attend college?

Brigham Young University (BYU) for Undergraduate and Baylor University for Law School

What is your favorite way that being an Oakwood student has affected your life in college and after?

I learned to advocate for myself to build experiences that I want and to have the life I am looking for. Few things are as valuable as investing the time and energy to design what you want and then showing others the value.

How is college life and its general atmosphere compared to Oakwood?

Similar to Oakwood, college is a lot of what you make of it. If you have a core group of friends and the commitment to succeed you'll do great. If you want to mess around, you can find that too...

Is college a big jump from high school?

Yes. The biggest transition for me was that I felt lost in college. I went from Oakwood (100 students) to my college which had more than 30,000. I really had to find myself and the resources I needed to succeed and be happy.

How does the homework load in college compare to Oakwood's?

The workload is probably marginally more (the essays and research are longer), but you spend less time in class so you have more time to do the homework.

How was the college admissions process and what did you find most challenging during it?

One of the most difficult part of admissions is figuring out how to tailor your specific life experiences to line up with the school's goals and values and then iterating for each school I applied to.

How did you select which school you attended? Anything you wish you knew before you settled on your school?

I wanted a campus that felt like home, and I had that at my school's. However, I wish I had a better understanding of which resources were included in my student fees and which were extra. Each school is different.

Was there anything that steered you in a particular direction regarding your major and/or career?

My heart knew that I needed to be an attorney, but my pride said I didn't want to be one of *those* lawyers, so I opened my own business that allows me to be the kind of attorney thay makes me happy, allows me to help people, and I can make money.

Do you think it is too late to try to build up your skills for your dream job in high school?

Absolutely not. Focus on becoming the kind of person that other people want to work with, and then other skills will develop with time and training, but unpleasant people don't get many wonderful opportunities.

How did you manage your time in high school with sports, AP classes, and other extracurriculars?

It's all about seasons of life. Sometimes I didn't sleep much because I was busy. Other times I needed an emotional recharge period and put off some work for later. Ultimately, it's your life and school shouldn't always be the most important thing.

How do you organize your priorities? When do you put your life before your career/studies?

I am married with 4 daughters. My studies and my career have always been to support my life, not the other way around. But again, there are seasons of life when I'm busy with a project and it is an investment into my future that temporarily pulls me away.

What is your best advice for building a successful career?

Work hard when it is time to work hard. But more than anything else, become someone that people want to work with. If you are great at your job, but your coworkers and clients hate you, you won't be successful. And learn to say "no" when it's appropriate.

Any other wisdom you'd like to share with our High School students?

Figure out the life that you want, and then invest your time and energy into building that life. More than anything else, please don't fight for opportunities you don't even want because it seems like "everyone else" wants them.