Grace Branson
11/18/2021
Grace Branson'21
Grace Branson 鈥21, a history major and political science minor from Carlisle, Ohio, spent her summer job at Franklin County Municipal Court interning with the prosecutor鈥檚 office.
鈥淚 have really strong opinions of justice and I like to debate and argue,鈥 said Branson. 鈥淲orking with the prosecutor this summer really showed me that I would like to go into criminal law or corporate law and fight for the criminal justice system.鈥
Branson first decided she wanted to be lawyer was in 5th grade when she was involved in a mini debate in her class. Her teacher said that she would be good at it and since then, the idea stuck. The summer internship experience solidified her choice after a previous experience job shadowing.
鈥淲hen I job shadowed, I sat in the back side of the court,鈥 said Branson. 鈥淪o, this time I actually sat upfront in the court rooms and sat in on the trials.鈥
She also took part in preliminary hearings with defense attorneys and met with offenders to take notes on the case.
鈥淚t was exciting to put myself in the prosecutor鈥檚 shoes,鈥 said Branson. 鈥淚 tried to think of what I would say or how I would prove my point, and then I envisioned myself as the prosecutor.鈥
The experience also cemented Branson鈥檚 desire to pursue work as a prosecutor rather than as a defense attorney.
Branson is now applying to law school. At Bluffton, Branson is a dual-sport athlete on the women鈥檚 golf team in the fall and the swim team in the winter. She is vice president of Student Senate, president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a representative for Bluffton鈥檚 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also a hall director for Hirschy Hall and is involved in Delight Ministries.
鈥淲hen I first heard about Bluffton, it was for golf. But when I met with professors, I realized that Bluffton was exactly where I needed to go to get one on one attention,鈥 said Branson. 鈥淢y choice is definitely helping me out now because my letters of recommendations are fantastic, and I have so much on my resume because of the opportunities at Bluffton.鈥