June Rodil was about to head into law school when she did an abrupt about-face. "I opened my eyes and discovered I had already been working in the industry I belonged in," she says. She'd started peddling cocktails at The Driskill between classes at UT Austin and transitioned into their fine dining restaurant, The Driskill Grill, where she found she liked the work more than her studies. "I enjoyed making people happy—creating that experience for them at the table," she says. The hottest opening of that moment in Austin was Uchi. Rodil had waited on the chef, Tyson Cole, and decided to interview for a position. She wanted the beverage program. They took her on as a server but in a few short months made her responsible for beverage education for the staff. A year later, the company launched their second restaurant, Uchiko, and named Rodil wine director.

In her spare time, Rodil has been climbing the ranks of the Court of Master Sommeliers. She took first place at TexSomm, the Texas Best Sommelier competition, in 2009, and was awarded a scholarship to further her studies. "For the people who win the competition, there's a lot of pressure to sit the Advanced level immediately," she says. "I waited a year and a half—I like to over-prepare." She also had three restaurants to open in December, as she'd taken a job as the company-wide beverage director for Congress Austin. In peak holiday season, they opened the doors to Congress, followed shortly thereafter by Bar Congress and Second Bar + Kitchen. With all that behind her, Rodil feels ready to tackle her Master Sommelier exam. Age: 31

—Carson Demmond