Prime Time: The 2016 Outstanding Young Texas Exes

Each year we celebrate a new group of Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award recipients with—what else?—a party. Transformed into a hip lounge featuring white sofas and soft jazz, the Alumni Center ballroom was filled with attendees eager to greet this year’s class. The honorees include a spirited entrepreneur who founded a multimillion-dollar company; a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who uncovered grand jury corruption; a two-time Olympic gold medalist and NBA MVP; an engineer who wants to take aerospace to the next level; and a member of a political dynasty who’s forging his own path. Did we mention that these accomplished Longhorns are all under the age of 40?

Kevin Durant

Forward, Golden State Warriors

of  systems that drive rotary-wing aircraft like helicopters.

Chavez says her favorite part of her job is the teamwork, and that she’ll be happy as long as she can keep learning and doing research. “I’d like to find improvements and take us into the next step of aerospace,” she says.

The slopes master: “I’m a big snowboarder. Being from Texas, it’s kind of hard to believe. I learned probably about 10 years ago, and I just started doing jumps in the terrain park.”

Time you failed: “There are so many. When I don’t get something that I’ve tried for, it’s hard not to take that personally at first. But I try to focus on the bigger picture. I just kind of build from that and realize later that it was an opportunity for me to learn and try again.”

Photos by Drew Anthony Smith