Wilmer 1 Sam Wilmer Professor Suzanne Ingram English 1103 25 November 2012 How to become a Supreme Court Justice

Heres the plan. Four years of undergraduate school to get a political science degree, hopefully three of them at George Washington University. Next up is Law School. I heard Harvard had a great constitutional law program, but that may just be a rumor. After law school maybe a law practice to get my name out there. Then once I am an established lawyer in Chicago, my hometown, I need to work my way up the hierarchy of judges. I call it the 60 year plan. It is my plan to become a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. Some people say I plan ahead a little bit. The average day of a future Supreme Court justice is pretty boring. I usually wake up early, no matter what time my first class is. Golf taught me that morning is the best time of the day. There are so many possibilities, so many things to do. I read any new articles on the Washington Posts app on my phone by noon. Even with a full college schedule, I try to read and stay informed whenever I can. After or in between classes I grab lunch, usually not the healthiest road, but I do skip breakfast. At least thats what I tell myself. After my last class I either head to the library to knock out some work or I go to a friends dorm to hang out. Around eight oclock I drive home, while rocking out of course. I try to go to sleep by ten, but college life doesnt permit that all of the time. I am content with a day like that especially if my International Politics professor gives a good lecture. Throughout the day my mind drifts from the election in November to even a theory on deficit spending. All in a days work.

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During high school my grades werent always the highest. It was hard for me to get motivated for my classes and I usually didnt see the point in trying hard. That changed during my junior year when I found my calling in an AP Comparative Government class. My teacher is one of the biggest reasons I love politics today. Our class was sort of an open forum where my classmates and I could express our opinions on topics that were so important to todays society. Before I knew it I was hooked. It was fun being bold, arguing my point, decimating the opponents with knowledge. For a daily assignment my teacher had everyone in the class bring in an article on a current political event. Thats when I discovered The Washington Post, my favorite source for news. Later that year, however, I mad an even larger discovery: The Washington Post Mobile App. Now I could leave my house with just my phone and still have the ability to find out the monthly jobs report, poll numbers, or Supreme Court rulings. I feel that it is my civic duty to be well informed on political issues. That year I decided to be a political science major at whichever university I attended. During my later years of high school I really started to value education. Right now, as a college freshmen who is trying to transfer from UNCC to a few possible schools, I know how important getting a degree is. I have put a ton of pressure on myself to transfer, and I know I can do it. There may be one or two classes that I was not prepared for before signing up for them, but I think I have handled them well. I really want to get a 4.0 my first semester at college. I think the higher I set the bar the better. However, I may go crazy by the time the semester is over and it is time to turn in my transfer applications. My next piece to the Supreme Court puzzle is my job as a greens keeper at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. Some of the work I do as a greens keeper can be very intense. For

Wilmer 3 example I must be extremely precise when I mow the greens. The lines must be kept straight to keep up the standard of the golf course. Golf has taught me a lot of things, but working on a golf course really allows me to put things in perspective. I was never a morning person until this summer when I worked full time. I would wake up at five, start work at six, and then leave twelve hours later. Every day I got to watch the sun rise at one of the most beautiful places in the world, totally immersed in nature. Of course the clubs elitist membership got to me sometimes. Right now I am using them as examples of how not to act. For instance there was the time an unnamed politicians golf cart broke down on the middle of the course. After me and a coworker pushed the cart nearly 500 yards to his mansion, I expected at least a thank you. Its safe to say he wont be receiving my vote for public office in November.

Sometimes life gets overwhelming and confusing, and when I cant make heads or tails of some judicial concept, I turn to music. I am constantly listening to music as much as I can and I am always looking for any new artists. I listen from alternative to dubstep, Pink Floyd to Kid Cudi, The Beatles to Bassnectar. My all-time favorite band is Coldplay, who was amazing in concert this past July. Very rarely does a band sound better live than in the studio, but Coldplay is one of those bands. I move through music like I move through ideas. I get hooked on one
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Wilmer 4 artist, then after a certain amount of time I get bored, so I move onto the next one. No song sounds quite as good the second time you hear it. Its still fresh, but you can sing along. I like musical artists who promote equality or some charitable organization. They are using their influence for a good cause, and that is inspiring. I remember the days of elementary school where kids wanted to be just like their parents. Somehow that stayed the same for me. My dad passed the Illinois state bar exam in 2005. He is my inspiration for becoming a lawyer today. The main difference between what I want to be and what my dad is now is his job. He currently works as a corporate lawyer for SCOR reinsurance. I dont think that sounds even remotely interesting. I have never really been a big business guy because I think all corporations are evil. Well, Im kidding, but in all seriousness Im just not interested in that type of law practice. In a court of law the goal is to argue and rationalize to convince someone of your point of view. The arguments and conversations I have with my dad are some of the best parts of my day. It may sound unorthodox that an argument is the best part of my day, but its true. The whole point of an argument should not be to have a winner and a loser, but to resolve, or even learn something. The one thing I cant stand is when people tell me to stop arguing. As long as the argument is about something that is important, why not? I discuss topics with my dad like the presidential election, a Supreme Court decision, or even whether Carowinds has more land in North or South Carolina. In the end we usually just argue because we think its fun and a challenge, but its good practice for writing academic papers or debate. My dream is to become a Supreme Court justice. It would be amazing to work eight months out of the ear, argue with some of the most brilliant people in the world, and make

Wilmer 5 decisions affecting millions of Americans. stick to the plan. It may be a challenge to get there, but I will try and