Since a young age Rose Warren ’21 wanted to be a scientist. As early as first grade, the rising sophomore saw a lab in her future, or even an operating room—she thought maybe she’d pursue a pre-med track in college.
Then after a period of advocacy work in high school, she began envisioning herself in the courtroom, fighting to preserve justice for the marginalized.
In her first year at Bowdoin, Warren became a recipient of a funded internship grant from the college’s Career Planning Center which has allowed her to enter the courtroom a lot sooner than she expected.
In receiving one of seventy-eight funded internship grants from Career Planning this summer, Warren was able to take what would otherwise be an unpaid experience and stay close to home, allowing her to receive an income while working for a cause in Augusta, where she grew up.
“When we go to the courtroom, it can be for hours or days,” Warren said recently, describing her internship experience. Over the summer, she is working at the Kennebec County District Attorney’s office in Augusta, Maine. Here, the aspiring lawyer will be getting a front row seat to the procedures of criminal court, a valuable addition to her summer as she decides the type of law she wants to practice. “I know I want to go to law school, now it is just a question of which kind of law I want to do,” she said.
When she’s not in court, Warren spends her time studying current cases, analyzing court precedents, and drafting research for District Attorney Maeghan Maloney. She also works alongside two fellow legal aids, who are quite a bit older than Warren.
“I’m not a law student, the other two people I work with are—they’re both in their third year—so they get to do things I am not necessarily able to do which can be a little frustrating, but I am learning a lot. I am taught how to write briefs and screen cases even though I am technically not allowed to practice law,” Warren said, highlighting the challenges and rewards of the internship.
Despite her lack of formal training, Warren is not new to the legal arena. A little over a year ago, Warren spearheaded a campaign to implement both LGBTQ+ and comprehensive sexual education training in her school, Hall-Dale High School, in Farmingdale, Maine. The policy she helped write was later adopted by the county.
As she prepares for a legal career, a clear next choice for Warren is law school. She has her eyes on Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., a place where she can study in the heart of policy making.
Ultimately, Warren sees herself working in Immigration or civil rights law. Regardless of the direction she plans to pursue, the government and education major said she is confident that through law-making, she can enact lasting change. When asked about the motivations that underlie her career goals, her answer is simple and selfless.
“I want to work to create change and make a difference, even if it is in just one person’s life,” she said.
