Owen grew up in the Boston area before attending Bates College in Maine, where he graduated in 2014 with a major in politics. After school, he was awarded a Fulbright grant to teach English at a university in Rio de Janeiro. He then moved to D.C. to accept a position as a policy analyst at National Journal, where he covered congressional legislation, elections, and technology. This summer, Owen completed an internship at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) headquarters in the chairman's office, working on transit issues and budgetary policy.