School & Family Magazine Newstand Frisco ISD November 2017 | Page 24

Centennial Graduate
Helps Entrepreneurs
Navigate Business Law
Jessica Vittorio, Class of 2008, is giving back to the community
and supporting small business owners.
Jessica Vittorio has maintained relationships
with her former teachers at Centennial High
School, where she helps mentor and coach
students interested in law careers.
Attorney Jessica Vittorio found her
passion as a seventh grader at Frisco
ISD’s Wester Middle School, where she
was a member of the Mock Trial team.
“I knew then that I wanted to be a trial
lawyer,” she said and then laughed be-
cause her law firm focuses on business
law more than criminal or civil litigation.
“My parents are small business own-
ers,” she said. “I realized they and their
friends with businesses sometimes
made some silly decisions that ended
up being expensive because they didn’t
want to pay a lawyer.”
She graduated from Centennial High
School a year early in 2008, determined
to work toward the goal of going to law
school and becoming an attorney. While
at Centennial, she participated in Debate,
Business Professionals of America
24 | FOCUS
(BPA) and the Independent Study and
Mentorship (ISM) program. Her ISM men-
tor was attorney Lance Baxter, who now
serves the community as the judge of
Collin County Court at Law 3.
Vittorio stayed on track and fin-
ished her undergraduate degree early
at Southwestern University. From there,
she studied law at Baylor University while
working for a mid-sized law firm. After
law school, she moved to Washington,
D.C. and worked in Congress for a year.
“It was good experience, but I didn’t
want to live in D.C.,” she said. “I’m not
married. I don’t have children. So, I can af-
ford to work on building up my own firm.”
Vittorio sees her firm as a place to help
people who own their own businesses
or are aspiring entrepreneurs. In study-
ing how to support entrepreneurs from
a legal perspective, Vittorio says she has
found herself helping really creative peo-
ple do really interesting things.
Not yet 30, this focused young wom-
an is all about serving the community
she calls home. Vittorio practices here
in North Texas, teaches business law
at Collin College and helps organize 1
Million Cups Frisco, a weekly networking
opportunity for entrepreneurs. She also
serves as a volunteer Mock Trial coach
at Centennial, where she shares advice
with current high school students.
“My grades weren’t that great if you
look at my transcript,” she said, noting
that studies indicate good grades don’t
always lead to success. “I tell them to
stay focused and to have a passion.” n