How did you hear about THSC and the Watchmen program?

Paul Exley: My older brother was on the first Watchmen team, so I was well acquainted with it by the time Jeremy Newman reached out to me to see if I’d have an interest in being part of the 2017 team.

Quincy Tredway: I heard through THSC newsletters and mailing

What is one major challenge you remember, and how was it resolved?

PE: Obtaining support for the Tebow bill. Some organizations were opposed to the bill due to an incomplete understanding of what the goals were, and overcoming that gap was extremely difficult. While the bill didn’t pass during the session I was in, we did a lot of bridge-building with legislators and other organizations, which started to pave the way.

QT: I remember working on the Capitol Days team in Austin and all the coordination that went into that. Two nights before Capitol Days, one of our bills was put on the docket, which caused our policy director and analyst to be present at the capitol during Capitol Days. That forced us Watchmen to step up and fill in some more important roles during Capitol Days. It was a very fun opportunity to rise to the occasion.

What is a favorite off-duty or non-work-related memory?

PE: One evening after we’d had a long week, another watchman and I bought a bunch of Nerf guns and set a bunch outside of the house on the front porch so when the ladies on the team came over, they saw a pile of nerf guns, ammo, and a note saying “defend yourselves.” 

The Nerf war lasted for two hours and was something we bonded over for the rest of the session.

QT: Some of my favorite off-duty memories were going to different places around Austin with the other Watchmen. Going to Salt Lick BBQ in Dripping Springs and eating ice cream at different parks around Austin are some of my favorite memories.

What is your favorite memory of working at the Texas Capitol?

PE: Rattlesnake Roundup in the outdoor rotunda, seeing people with their attention stuck in their binders or papers walking right through a rattlesnake pit and realizing at the last second just where they were and jumping out of their skin!

QT: Being able to watch the House and Senate in session passing bills. When we were in the midst of passing the UIL bill, we were in the gallery of the house floor until 1 am just to have to come back the next day for the bill to finally be passed.

What is your favorite memory about another team member or a moment of team camaraderie?

PE: During the session, myself and another Watchman, Josiah Newman, started exercising together. I’ve never been good at following a disciplined exercise regime but partnering up motivated us both to build self-discipline as we exercised. This built a friendship for us that benefitted our daily work and helped us blow off steam during stressful times of the session.

QT: One night, the team had to do extensive research about a bill that we did not realize would be on the docket until after work hours. The other watchmen and I worked till midnight doing bill research, which we all bonded over the late night and the sheer amount of work we had to do. 

What is one thing you miss the most about being a Watchman?

PE: I’m not sure I miss being a Watchman. It was a good season in my life where I was able to learn and to give back to a community that gave so much to me through my school years, but I was relieved to be done at the end of the session and to get back to a normal schedule of sleep and work.

QT: I miss going to the capital a few times a week and the fun work environment that was a part of being a watchman.

How do you think your time with THSC and the watchmen group influenced or even directed the decisions you’ve made in your life?

PE: Well, I did decide I probably don’t want to go into politics! I also realized how much I love being able to help people and educate people; this has influenced my interactions in the jobs I’ve had.

QT: It was great to have exposure to a professional work environment where I was having meetings with representatives and their staff. It taught me a lot about communication and working with others. The people I worked with influenced me as well, and I picked up little things from all my THSC coworkers. There were a lot of principles that I could take with me for the rest of my work career that I learned from the Watchmen program.

What are you most proud of from your work with the Watchmen?

PE: I focused on CPS and parental rights issues during the session. I am probably most proud of how we killed several bills that would have given massive power to CPS to interfere with families and their choices on how to raise their own children.

QT: I am proud to know that I was part of a team that impacted Texas families and that I was not just doing work for an interest group. I was actually working for an organization that worked for families and wanted the best for Texas. Knowing that my work is impacting my fellow citizens around me is what makes me the proudest.

What are you up to currently?

PE: I have spent the last five years working in commercial poultry, earning my master’s degree, and am preparing to move back to TX and buy a farm. I am in the process of searching for a new job, hopefully working with conservation and agricultural promotion and preservation.

QT: I am currently a Sophomore at Colorado Christian University, where I am studying business administration and economics.

Do you have a piece of advice for future Watchmen?

PE: Take the wins, and don’t let failure create bitterness. Disappointment is inevitable in life, but how we respond to it shapes who we become.

QT: Take every opportunity you can get while doing this internship. If you get asked to do something as simple as getting printer ink from Office Depot or something as daunting as calling a representative about a bill, take the opportunity because you will most likely not get that chance again. Enjoy the 6ish months and do as much as you can; it’s a season of life you only get once.

Anything else you would like to share?

QT: I am very grateful to THSC and the Watchmen program for the opportunities it gave me and the memories I made from it.