On May 3, Kendall Huddleston graduated from Baylor Law School.
Three weeks later, sister Cameron Huddleston graduated from medical school at Texas Tech University.
Kendall and Cameron’s mother, Parker County Court at Law Judge Lynn Johnson, said she and her husband Ed Huddleston, an attorney in Parker County, were over the moon at what their daughters accomplished.
“We were both incredibly proud and joyful,” Johnson said. “Watching Kendall and Cameron walk across their respective graduation stages, both in the same month, was a moment of overwhelming gratitude.
“They had each set ambitious goals, stayed the course, and finished strong, even though their paths were completely different. That made it all the more special to see them arrive at the same finish line, side by side, ready to begin the next chapter of their lives.”
Johnson, who grew up in a farming community in Central Minnesota and described her childhood as one “filled with small-town values, church on Sundays, Girl Scouts, and a deep sense of community,” said she and her husband always encouraged their daughters to give their best effort academically and expected them to go to college.
They also tried to expose Kendall and Cameron to the world in meaningful ways.
“They participated in College for Kids at TCC, which introduced them to campus life early,” Johnson said. “They had to choose their courses, taking everything from pottery and interior design to basketball, modeling, and math, and manage their own schedules.”
Kendall attended a Navy SEAL-run survivor camp where she learned how to rappel and carry a gurney with a mock-injured teammate, a true test of grit, while Cameron attended numerous sports camps every year and challenged herself to be the best athlete in each competition.
Their parents also enrolled them in a variety of service projects, outdoor adventures, and competitive sports, all of which taught the Aledo sisters the value of discipline, teamwork, and resilience.
Cameron Huddleston said she is proud to have graduated from medical school, but added that it was more of a necessary step than a deeply emotional milestone.
“It was part of the larger plan,” Cameron said. “I knew I had to do it in order to become a physician and do the work I truly care about — helping people and making a difference in their lives.”
Cameron, who is currently an obstetric and gynecologist resident physician at John Peter Smith Hospital, added that one of the things that she believes allowed her and Kendall to thrive academically is that expectations were never rigid or pressured in the Huddleston household.
“My parents didn’t hover over our homework or enforce strict rules about grades,” Cameron said.
“Instead, their focus was on us doing our best in whatever we chose to pursue. What shaped us most was watching their example. They both worked hard, stayed consistent, and were successful in their careers. That quiet, steady influence created a sense of internal drive in me and my siblings.”
Sister Kendall described graduating from law school as a “deeply personal victory” — not just because of the intensity of the journey, but because of everything it represented.
“Baylor Law’s program is notoriously rigorous, especially the final year’s ‘Practice Court,’ which is unlike anything offered at most law schools,” Kendall said. “For eighteen relentless weeks, we were in class from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., all while managing a full-blown mock litigation — from depositions and discovery to expert reports and trial prep — plus reading up to 150 pages of case law a night, various exercises and writing assignments, my law review obligations, and being on a mock trial team.”
But that was not the most difficult part.
“Every single day, we had the potential to be cold called in class,” Kendall said. “If you didn’t know the answer to a question from the mountain of assigned reading, you weren’t just embarrassed — you had to write a 5-10-page research paper on top of your regular assignments. It was designed to simulate the pressure and responsibility of actual practice, and it absolutely did.
“It pushed every student to be constantly prepared, sharp, and quick on their feet. It tested every ounce of mental endurance I had.”
Kendall has wanted to be a lawyer since the age of five, but was told as a teenager that law school was not for her because she was dyslexic and she struggled with reading.
Now living in Weatherford and planning her wedding, Kendall reads an average of 60 books a year, and after the bar, will begin working for her father, Ed, handling a broad range of litigation, including business disputes, family law, and civil suits.
Kendall turned down a job with a major firm in San Francisco to accept the job with her father.
Moving forward, Johnson, who enjoys traveling, gardening, yoga, and babysitting her first grandchild, Collyns, said her greatest desire for Kendall and Cameron is that they find harmony in their lives.
“Our wish is that they find professional fulfillment, earn enough to take care of themselves and their families, and just as importantly, strike a healthy balance between work and home,” Johnson said. “We want them to be happy, to stay grounded, and to always find purpose in whatever they do. We hope they remember, especially during the hard moments, that all you can do is get back up and keep going. Success isn’t about titles or paychecks. It’s about whether you enjoy what you do and whether you’ve made a positive impact in the lives of the people you serve.”
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