Michael Rincon — Why His Border Town Defines Him

Michael Rincon grew up in a border town around people who spoke both Spanish and English. His childhood home as well as his upbringing have shaped his desire to advocate for diversity in the workplace as a lawyer. Rincon’s father is his biggest inspiration for wanting to pursue law. Being from a border town, Rincon is proud of is heritage and feels that this will contribute to his skills as a lawyer because he already has real-life experience with bridging gaps in regard to language barriers and cultural divides. Destinee DuBose sat down with Rincon to further discuss his career path and future goals.

Destinee DuBose: What does being from a “border town” mean to you?

Michael Rincon:I’ve learned that being from a border town becomes a part of your identity, even if you don’t want it to. It really shapes who you are as a person. Being from a border town has allowed me to adapt to almost any environment. I’m very proud of my heritage and my border community.

DD: In what ways did your background lead you to value diversity today?

MR: I think that in order to paint a full picture, you have to have difference. My father owns a law firm and raised me to value diversity. I’ve learned the importance of becoming comfortable working with differences rather than closing yourself off.

DD: What line of work do you want to pursue and why?

MR: I want to be a lawyer. My dad, who is also a lawyer, is my biggest inspiration for this because I watched him open up his own firm in 2006. In 2008, despite the economy crashing, my dad managed to expand his firm. I want to be a lawyer for startup companies because I’ll be able to work with a variety of people. You can’t have a successful startup without diversity.

DD: What qualities do you feel make you a valuable asset to a team setting?

MR: I enjoy being in a leadership role. I played soccer when I was younger and was always the one who helped others and kept a positive mindset. At a young age, people saw that I was able to pull the best out of people.

DD: In your opinion, what are some things that can potentially prevent a team from reaching its goal? How do you ensure not to do those things?

MR: Constructive criticism is really important when it comes to teamwork. I think a team can be hindered if criticism becomes criticism just for the sake of it. This doesn’t allow for improvement. I also think it’s important not to be dense, but rather to be fluid.

DD: Why do you want to work specifically with startups?

MR: Startups provide the unique opportunity to work with many people form different backgrounds. I want to work with startups because it means I’ll learn new values and be introduced to new ideas. I think intersecting tech with the legal field can be really revolutionary.

DD: What lessons have you learned from your background with sports that you’ve carried over into your work life?

MR: Teamwork. I think learning to work in a team environment is extremely important when it comes to someone’s career. I’ve also learned to keep a healthy mentality in regard to my environment, meaning that I don’t allow the environment around me to turn toxic. Instead, I’m the force that stops this from happening.