Judge Ibarra Mayfield Visits Reed Academy

Students at Reed Academy got to hear from someone who grew up in the neighborhoods and schools of Aldine. Judge Debra Ibarra Mayfield recently visited the campus.

Mayfield is a native Texan and Houstonian. She is a MacArthur High School graduate. Mayfield formed part of the first generation in her family to attend college. Her grandfather worked as a waiter at Texas A&M University’s Sebisa Hall (now a student cafeteria). He dreamed of either his children or his grandchildren attending the campus. He lived long enough to witness Mayfield’s brother (Principal Ben Ibarra at Eisenhower HS) and she earn degrees from A&M.

After law school, she clerked for an appellate justice at the 14th Court of Appeals. This translated into her partnership in a mid-sized civil defense firm. The Harris County Commissioners’ Court unanimously appointed her as Judge of County Civil Court at Law Number One. Voters elected her twice to that bench. In 2015, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Mayfield Judge of the 165th Civil District Court.

As a Judge, Mayfield stated she is honored and privileged to serve the people on a daily basis. In fact, serving in the civil courthouse has a special significance for her. Mayfield’s father was a sheet metal fabricator. He led the team that fabricated the iconic star that now rests on top of the courthouse.

“Each day I walk the steps of the courthouse, I’m reminded why I am there,” said Mayfield. “I am there to fulfill my call to serve you through administering justice.

“My story is like yours. So many people come to Houston or other Harris County communities looking for promise. This City has given me the opportunity to succeed. My experience has taught me something I truly believe in. And that is that regardless of where we come from in life, what matters more is where we are going.”