Attorney Activist

Watch Laurie Parise, attorney and Executive Director of Youth Represent, share how she founded her organization to provide legal representation and assistance to young people from under-served communities. As an advocate for youth in the juvenile justice system, she helps them navigate the legal system and earn a second chance to become a productive member of society. She previously worked helping indigenous people with land rights at the Rainforest Foundation, and decided to become a lawyer after one of her mentors there suggested that she should consider earning a law degree. Her advice to girls is that life is long and you don’t have to be tied down to just one path or idea. It is okay to get a degree in one subject, work in that field and then later decide to do something else you might discover to be fulfilling.