What steps should someone take to pursue their dreams of becoming a judge?

To become a judge, you need to go to law school, practice law, and do clerkships (i.e., work for a judge)...but before making that hefty investment, I'd try to do things that give me a better idea of whether I want to go into the legal field at all! Look for internships at a law office -- a small firm, a solo practitioner, a public defender's office, etc. Watch the professionals around you and observe what they spend their time doing. Before you take the plunge into law (which is at least 3 years of law school and $200,000 in tuition), you might also ask yourself if there's anything else you can see yourself doing. If there is, it may not be a bad idea to try the other stuff first. Many lawyers end up leaving the field because they discover later on that it wasn't the right career for them, and it's hard to quit the law after you've invested so much time and money. So keep doing what you're doing now -- talk to as many people as you can, ask lots of questions, and look for opportunities to try things out (i.e., an internship) before you commit the time and money in a legal career.