Congratulations to Rowlie John Flores, the winner of Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers’ 2022 Maritime Workers Scholarship. The law firm believes in investing in future talent and awards the $2,500 scholarship to a deserving student who plans to study a maritime-related career.
Flores, a recent graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will attend Tulane University Law School in New Orleans this fall, where he will pursue a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) in international environmental law. “As one of the few universities to offer a diverse selection of courses in maritime law, Tulane is the best place to study this topic,” he writes in his scholarship essay.
He will use the scholarship award toward his law school tuition and other expenses.
Serving as a Climate Litigator and U.S. Government Consultant Among Other Career Aspirations
Flores, who is attuned to the climate challenges in a changing world, aspires to become a climate litigator, which he says has become a growing field of environmental law in recent years.
Flores writes, “However, climate litigation should not be limited to the conventional norms of international environmental law as we know today,” he says. “Thus, I hope to be a consultant for the U.S. Government as we look to strengthen our Arctic Strategy and work with other nations to create a legal framework in maritime law that respects both American and international interests.”
He credits his environmental policy professors at Georgetown, who have worked with the U.S. Department of State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as helping him see a consultant role as a possible career path.
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Interest in International Environmental Law Began at Georgetown
Flores says his interest in maritime law is relatively new, but now that he has combined it with his passion for environmental protection, he sees the possibilities of how he can serve and make a difference. An undergraduate course about environmental security in the Arctic interested him in U.S. Arctic strategy and international laws that govern the ocean.
The course addressed the existing and hypothetical challenges Arctic nations will face because of climate change. In his view, international laws such as the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) can connect international environmental and maritime laws. In one of his term papers, Flores addressed why the United States should ratify the treaty, which he says is one of the most recognized governing documents of our oceans.
As he pursues his law degree, he wants to study the treaty from a legal perspective instead of a policy one. “In my [scholarship] essay, I talked about how LOST serves as a bridge between international environmental and maritime laws, which I believe can be improved to be better aligned to the realities of the climate crisis,” he writes in his essay.
“From access to critical minerals on extended coastlines and protecting the freedom of navigation, there are many avenues where maritime law can be used as a tool for climate mitigation.”
While he doesn’t start his studies at Tulane until the fall, courses in marine pollution and maritime and national security already have his attention.
Flores Served in Student Government and Completed Several Internships
Flores graduated from Georgetown University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and minors in sociology and environmental studies. While at Georgetown, he was active in several organizations that connected him to the D.C. area and Hawaii, his home state.
He served in student government as a sustainability policy director and vice speaker of the Senate. He also was involved in the Georgetown Coalition Workers’ Rights as well as the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program as Hawaii State Chair. He answered questions for prospective applicants from his home state and volunteered to lead tours during admitted students’ weekends.
He also served as an intern for the U.S. Department of Justice, the Offices of U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono and Former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, The Climate Reality Project, and the Earth Commons Institute at Georgetown University.
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His Parents Are His Biggest Inspiration
Flores admires his parents, whose willingness to face the unknown while making a new life in a new country inspires him as he goes forward in his law studies.
“While I am also an immigrant, it is through the support of my family that got me where I am. In my career, I aspire to be as resilient and selfless like them,” he says.
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Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Maritime Workers Scholarship
Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, a personal injury law firm based in Louisiana, awards the Maritime Workers Scholarship annually. If you know someone who would be interested in applying for the award, you can learn more about it here. The scholarship is open to all college applicants with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average who plan to study engineering, mechanics, or other maritime-related careers.
Applicants must also write an essay outlining how their chosen area of study can help them reach their education goals. They are also encouraged to share why they are interested in the maritime industry and how they plan to use the scholarship award to further their studies.
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