When it came time for Christina Bowen ’19 to apply to law school, she didn’t quite know where to begin; with support from Haverford’s pre-law advisory program, though, she soon decided to apply to the Temple University Beasley School of Law and was accepted with a full scholarship.
“I had extraordinary guidance from Haverford’s Pre-Law Advisor, Jennifer Barr,” said Bowen. “I always knew I wanted to go to law school, but I knew nothing about the [application] process. Her advice was instrumental and helped alleviate a lot of the stress associated with the law-school-application process.”
Although the religion major won’t begin law school until the fall, she has been directing herself towards a career in law for much of her time at Haverford. This preparation has come through both the theoretical work Bowen did as a part of the peace, justice, and human rights (PJHR) curriculum as well as the more direct experience she gained from an externship orchestrated by the Center for Career and Professional Advising (CCPA) at Haverford.
“I was also lucky enough to extern at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit over winter break through the CCPA program, which allowed me to experience the law in action firsthand,” she said. This opportunity gave Bowen an intimate perspective on what working in the legal system means on a day-to-day basis, but it’s the combination of this viewpoint with the thoughtful, interdisciplinary training she received from Haverford’s PJHR program that distinguishes her as a future lawyer.
“As a PJHR concentrator, I think I can bring a unique perspective to the law. [Associate] Professor Jill Stauffer always encouraged us to recognize the limits of the law and the questions we ask of it that it cannot answer,” she said. “Visiting law schools made me realize how much being a PJHR concentrator has prepared me to partake in interdisciplinary discussions about peace, justice, and human rights. It has been an instrumental part of my time at Haverford and will continue to influence my thinking as I move on to other fields.”
By empowering herself with a law degree, she is creating space for her theoretical work to become praxis: “I think being a lawyer will give me the best platform to have my voice heard and advocate on behalf of those whose voices are not often heard.”
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series chronicling the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.