Florida Banking March 2022

STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

MY TIME IN IOWA, PART V: JUDGE HAROLD VANN, COACH VINCE SCHAFFER, MIAMI AND ME

BY ALEJANDRO “ALEX” SANCHEZ, FBA PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

T he time finally came to graduate from the University of Iowa, College of Law. I attended a summer semester to graduate a semester early in December of 1983. My class would graduate in May 1984. Some believe I did this so I wouldn’t have to spend another winter in Iowa, but that’s not true. After serving our country in the United States Air Force for almost five years, and nearly three years of law school, I wanted to begin my work life and have a family sooner rather than later. I did miss being with my classmates in May of 1984 for the graduation. I was then, and still am today, very grateful to the University of Iowa for accepting me to such a well-known and nationally recognized law school. While graduation was a great time, it was filled with many questions. I learned that law students at graduation should throw their caps in the air like Naval shipmen and women, but knowing that the state bar exam is still ahead, they don’t, which takes all the fun out of graduation. It was great to be back home in Miami with my parents and friends again. As an added plus, January 1984 was also a special time; my University of Miami Hurricanes were playing in the NCAA national football championship game, as an underdog to the mighty Nebraska Cornhuskers. Bernie Kosar and the Canes won their first national championship in a thriller. My days were filled now with studying for the Florida Bar and looking for a job. I went down to Peter Kent in the Miami design district and bought a suit. I had one suit and two dress shirts. I started working on my resume and printed a hundred copies to distribute. I knew no attorneys; my family did not know any attorneys. There was no family law firm to call on to seek a job. What did I do? Each morning I would drive my newly purchased used Mercury Monarch to downtown Miami and park underneath the overpasses in metered parking. I would bring lots of quarters to last me until 5 p.m., since I could not afford a parking ticket. I was freshly showered in one of my two dress shirts with my hard plastic briefcase, ready to take on downtown Miami. I started in the nearest office tower and would take the

elevator to the top floor and work my way down. I was “cold calling,” entering each law firm on every floor, asking the receptionist if I could meet with the managing partner of the firm. The usual answer I received was,“Please leave your resume and I will give it to him.” I was getting rejected each day, by the minute. The country was still in a recession and most law firms were not hiring. It was late spring and the heat arrived in Miami. Each day when I returned home, I was tired, sweaty and disappointed. I washed my shirt, wore the other one the next day, and went back out there to face my challenge: find a job. It was disheartening to have graduated from law school after two and a half years of nonstop work and not find a job. But I would never change this job search experience. Getting rejected as often as I did was an incredible experience that made me stronger. Today, I urge young students to not shy away from rejection. It builds character and strength. While it is tough to experience, it’s true what we learned from our parents: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Each day after parking the car underneath the noisy overpasses, I prayed and asked God for his guidance that day. What I learned then and have certainly reaffirmed many times over in my life is that He always has a plan that you must seek and find. In my cold calling on law firms, I learned there are kind people everywhere. Occasionally a receptionist would tell me: “Mr. Sanchez, take a seat… let me tell the managing partner you are here.” To my great surprise, that partner would greet me and take me to his corner office, give me water, and ask for my resume. Then he would knock my socks off by telling me that he too started out by cold calling on law firms. Wow, I could not believe that. In his first job, his desk was in the hallway outside the front door to the law firm, and all the clients thought he was the receptionist. Those words inspired me to press on in my job search. Each day I drove to downtown Miami with great enthusiasm and drove home tired and rejected, but knowing the next day was another opportunity. After a

6 — FLORIDA BANKING THE VOICE OF FLORIDA BANKING