DECATUR, Ill. – Even before she knew exactly which college she was going to attend, senior Maggie Schrage had a plan of what she was going to do for her career.
Even before I started at Millikin, I knew I wanted to go to law school. I want to be a lawyer, and then I plan to get into politics. Politics is my big thing, and the law is my path towards that. I’m not 100% sure where I'll be attending law school, but I have lots of ideas, Schrage said. “I like constitutional law a lot, but I think I'm going to do criminal law. I want to work as a public defender, and I think it would be an awesome experience to do, most likely in Illinois.”
Schrage has used her time at Millikin to prepare herself for those next steps in her career, double majoring in and (with a Pre-Law concentration) and adding a Criminal Justice minor. Through Performance Learning opportunities, Schrage has sharpened her debate and courtroom skills in Moot Court and her research skills working at .
In March, at the , held annually at the Illinois State Capitol, Schrage and her teammate, Olivia Swords, finished in second place overall at the Moot Court team competition.
“We are given a fictional case and then specific other cases from courts to use as precedent, statutes, and regulations. Then we have to argue the case against the other teams. We have to argue both sides, and you flip from one argument to the other side, and there are judges who are often law students,” Schrage said. “It was a cool experience to be able to be in an atmosphere that's very similar to what I'm going to be in the future as a lawyer. I have a better understanding of how to tailor my argument to the judges and how the other arguments have progressed.”
Schrage is a Research Assistant at the HTRL, the only research lab in the state of Illinois focused on human trafficking, and has gained extensive knowledge about this critical criminal justice topic.
“It is fascinating to see the research side of things of that nature, and it is very different than what is shown on TV and movies. I was interested in the topic after taking a Human Trafficking class in my Political Science major,” she said. “The HTRL has a grant from the Central Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force, which we collaborate with, and I started doing briefs of statistics on human trafficking trainings and the number of arrests. Now we are working on researching a policy paper on Illinois policies versus Missouri policies, and how the media frames them.”
A standout student, Schrage was awarded the Scovill Prize, the highest honor a student can receive at Millikin University, which is awarded based on academic achievement, leadership, and service, with a strong emphasis on scholarship. A Presidential Scholar, Schrage is also a Student Experience Ambassador (SEA), helping new students during Welcome Week find their footing on campus. Schrage is also a member of the , which was a factor that attracted her to Millikin when considering colleges.
“It was between a big university and a small university where I could play basketball, and it ultimately came down to my decision whether I was going to play basketball or not. I knew about Millikin because my mom went here (Lucy Hanson Schrage ’96), but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go,” Schrage said. “When I came to campus, I was like, this is awesome. I knew many people here already, and I had great relationships with them. I met a lot of my teammates right off the bat, and it immediately felt like home.”
It’s another opportunity that Millikin has provided that will prepare Schrage for her next career steps after graduation.
“I thought I would just focus on basketball and academics, but you can definitely evolve with the Millikin experience. I'm a student first, then I'm an athlete, then I'm all of the other amazing things that I can be. I can do research, I can work, I can meet all these different students from different backgrounds and welcome them to Millikin,” Schrage said. “I can do all of the things that I want, and I still have time and all those amazing things. I'm not just an athlete, and that's something that I really value at Millikin. You can be all of the things you want to be, and you're not just one thing. You can do all the things.”
