Spears, Cowboy basketball alumnus Reeves prepping for Harvard Law graduation

Monday, April 22, 2024

Three years ago, Trey Reeves walked across the graduation stage in Gallagher-Iba Arena on the same court where he spent countless hours with his Oklahoma State University men’s basketball teammates and coaches.

Reeves was both a crowd favorite during games and a standout student at the Spears School of Business. The Gans, Oklahoma, native was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference selection, receiving the Big 12’s Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award and was named one of just 16 Outstanding Seniors by the OSU Alumni Association in 2020. Those accolades and more earned Reeves a spot at perhaps the most prestigious law school in the country — Harvard Law School.

In May, Reeves will earn his law degree from Harvard and take the next step in his career, so Spears Business caught up with him to get the details on that and his expanding family.

Spears Business: Has it set in that you’re about to graduate from Harvard Law?

Trey Reeves: It’s been a challenging journey, but honestly I’ve just tried to take the next step as it comes while enjoying it all. I’ve definitely been appreciative and thankful for the position I’m in. I think as it gets closer to the end here it’s setting in a little bit more. It’s definitely a blessing and a great experience.

SB: Tell us about the tremendous challenge that Harvard Law presented for you over the last three years?

TR: It’s been a great challenge, but one that’s helped me grow personally. School-wise, law school is very different than the undergraduate accounting program that I came from at Oklahoma State, but there are some aspects of it that I have really enjoyed. One of the things that has really proven worthwhile is just getting pushed by all the different people that are up here; all of the great minds. Everyone here is extremely smart and driven, and they all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. So, they have a unique perspective on things, and I think that being pushed by those people every day has helped me. Lord, you have to bring it. You have to perform each and every day, and that’s an exciting environment to be in.

SB: You grew up in Gans, Oklahoma (population 251) and came to the big city of Stillwater (population 49,160) for college at OSU. How much of an adjustment was living in the Boston area (population 4,941,632) for the last three years?

TR: Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve never lived in a city like Boston, and neither has my wife, Steffa, although she’s from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Still, we’re in a much more urban setting than either one of us have lived before. But we’ve made the most of it, and we’ve really enjoyed it. There was definitely a culture shock, but we knew there would be. The lifestyle is different and the people are different, but it’s been a lot of fun. And now that we’re getting ready to leave three years later, we’re getting a little sentimental and nostalgic about that. Boston has really been a great experience for us.

SB: Did your time at OSU and the Spears School of Business accounting program prepare you for the rigors of Harvard Law?

TR: Absolutely. I think Oklahoma State was able to prepare me in several different ways. Here, the professors and students drive you to be at a certain level, and I think it’s similar at Oklahoma State. I think Oklahoma State prepared me to be in this environment. It prepared me to get up here and succeed. I can’t say enough about the business faculty at Spears. They’re the reason that I wanted to get into this field in the first place.

SB: How fondly do you look back at your time with Cowboy basketball?

TR: My time with Cowboy basketball was unbelievable. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and something I’ll treasure and cherish for the rest of my life. I made so many great memories, made so many great friendships; all the players, all the staff, everyone around the program. I couldn’t ask for more out of it. The relationships you build are just unbelievable. I cherish those, and I still keep up with my teammates. It just meant a lot to me. The fans obviously see the games, but there’s so much more to it. We had practice every day, hanging out in the locker room, traveling together, eating together every day. It’s four years of great memories that I treasure.

SB: Not only did you move to Boston to attend Harvard Law, but you also got married, and the two of you are expecting a new arrival in June. This has to be an exciting time in your life?

TR: For sure. With so much change it’s so nice to have someone like Steffa up here with me. She has been unbelievable. I’ve told her that I couldn’t do it without her, and that’s the absolute truth. She’s been my rock and my comfort. I couldn’t imagine being up here without her. And we’re expecting here in a couple of months, and we’re just thrilled. We’re over the moon and we couldn’t be more thankful.

SB: What is the next step for you professionally?

TR: After graduation, we’re moving to Dallas, where I’ll take the bar exam this summer. In the fall, I’ll start at a firm, Jackson Walker, in the tax department, and I’m really excited. I did both of my summer clerkships at Jackson Walker, so it’s a group of great people that I’m familiar with. The office I’ll be working at is located in downtown Dallas, so living in Boston prepared me for that, I think.

Coming into law school, I knew I wanted to go into tax law or some type of business law, and that’s because of my time at Oklahoma State and Spears. I studied accounting at OSU, which had tons of tax classes, tons of accounting classes, tons of finance classes, and I really enjoyed it all. I think with the accounting and tax background I probably had a little more inclination towards tax law even more than just general business law. Luckily, I was able to spend my summers at Jackson Walker in Dallas, and they let me dip my toes into several different practice groups at the law firm. Just like I thought going in, tax law just drew me in. So, I’ve enjoyed taking that route and I’m excited to start this fall.