Parker County Today July 2018 | Page 25

working hard and giving back, few compare to his mother. Armed with degrees in neurosci- ence and psychology he’d earned at the University of Texas at Arlington, Hagains worked in research at first. Then, his love of people drew him in a different direction.  “I have a fascination with people,” Hagains said. “I’ve always worked to better understand how the brain func- tions.”  In time, the finance and insurance industry beckoned to Hagains and he exited the field of science to help others in a different way, and is now with New York Life. “Being in life insurance, I end up talking to a lot of people about their health, about the future. It gives me an extra layer for helping people,” he said. Although Hagains is reluctant to name his favorite Parker County charity, like Prince, he is enthusi- astic about supporting a number of nonprofits that help those in need.  “I tend to volunteer as a need comes up,” he said. “New York Life has a number of charities they are helping with. … I try to stay engaged and look for gaps in the community, things that need to be improved. I keep that in mind in whatever I do. The world is a weird place and people don’t engage as much as they should. I think it’s important, even when we don’t see eye-to-eye with someone, to just do good things for people.” Saving and planning for the future is something that few people focus on enough, especially millennials, Hagains said. “Making the adjustment from science to helping people make decisions about their finances was a challenge,” he said. “But, it’s been a lot more rewarding than I expected. Saving money is a lost art today.” Educating people to be equipped to establish a firm financial foun- dation, to assure they’ll enjoy a comfortable future is top priority for him.  Making headway in that mission is important to him, but it’s the long- term relationships in his life that bring him the greatest happiness. Many of those were established while living in Parker County. “I came out here when I was 17,” he said. “It was a wonderful place to spend a difficult time in your life. I did a lot of soulsearching and devel- oped a deep relationship with God.” These days, you mostly will see him wearing a suit and tie during business hours, but at heart Hagains is most comfortable in a T-shirt and blue jeans.  Hagains’ favorite recent novel is Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One.”  “I read it with my son on an audio book,” he said. “It took a lot of car time to finish it. We both loved it and talked about it in-depth after. I don’t know if I liked it so much because I got to spend all that time with my son or because of the content or both.” Hagains’ favorite place in Parker County isn’t a park or a restaurant. “Most places that I love, I love because of the people I’ve been there with,” he said. “My mom’s place is my favorite. I love it because of the people that I’ve been there with.” Congratulations Amanda Edwards! 2018 Mary Kemp Historical Preservationist Award winner 1400 Texas Dr, Weatherford, TX | 817- 599-6168 | dosscenter.org y t n u o C er k r a P o t n o i t s ’ a c y i t d n e u d o c d n r a u o e v g o n l i v r r e s e You r p n i l a t e n m . s u n n o o i t m a r s e i n e g e r u t u f r o f y r o t his 23