Hometown Glory

Houston's young geniuses: Andrew Luck, Bobby Heugel & other locals dominateForbes' 30 under 30

Forbes' "30 Under 30" list included individuals from across twelve categories,including several Housonians.
Photo via Forbes.com
Bobby Heugel was selected under "Food & Wine" for his work creating Anvil.
Photo by Debora Smail/RealityPhotography.net
Houston's Andrew Luck was one of three athletes featured.

Are you having a good day? Well, get ready for your self-esteem to plummet.

Forbes has assembled a list of the top "30 under 30" of people who are changing the world in fields as diverse as music, technology and finance, and it comes as no surprise that several Houstonians are on the list.

Houston's most famous representative is probably 22-year-old Andrew Luck, the former Stratford High star who was the Heisman Trophy runner up (for the second straight year) and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year as Stanford University's quarterback. Luck is one of three athletes on the entertainment list, sharing space with LeBron James and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

There's a 15-year-old media mogul on the list, a 17-year-old inventor from Dallas and several entrepreneurs who aren't legally allowed to drink alcohol.

On the food and wine list is drinks guru Bobby Heugel, 28. Already a James Beard semifinalist in 2011, Forbes singled out Heugel's impressive cocktail list at Anvil Bar & Refuge. While Anvil may have reinvigorated Houston's bar scene, we think Heugel has been equally impressive with his work co-founding the Houston chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild and in his campaign against the city's proposed new parking ordinances.

As the self-proclaimed energy capital of the world, it's no surprise that Houston is the home of several professionals on the energy list. Dave Berry, 28, is the co-founder of Clean Line Energy Partners, and described as a"bottleneck beater ... working to build long-distance transmission lines to connect wind farms with population centers." Fellow Rice alum Jeff Bishop, 29, made the list as Vice President of Business Development at EDP Renewables, with wind projects in Morocco, Spain, Botswana and the U.S. under his belt.

Berry and Bishop represent Houston's work in clean energy, but traditional oil and gas interests were also represented. Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Steiner, a project manager who "works directly with top execs" at deepwater driller Rowan Companies, also made the Forbes list.

Still feeling pretty good about yourself? There's a 15-year-old media mogul on the list, a 17-year-old inventor from Dallas and several entrepreneurs who aren't legally allowed to drink alcohol.

Yeah, we're not sure what we've been doing with our lives, either.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”