Three of the twelve 2019 Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy summer internships in public service have been awarded to Boston College Law School students. The prestigious Rappaport Fellows program provides opportunities in public policy at the highest levels of state and local government in Massachusetts.
The BC Law Rappaport Fellows, all 1Ls, are (above, left to right) Margaret “Meg” Green, Kaitlin “Kadie” Martin, and Mitchell Carney. Green will intern in the Appellate Division at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office this summer. The City of Boston Law Department is Martin’s placement. Carney will work at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
“Our 2019 Rappaport Fellows are an outstanding group. They are passionate and committed to bettering communities in diverse areas, including education, access to justice, racial equality, housing, public safety, and more,” said Rappaport Center Executive Director Elisabeth J. Medvedow. “As Rappaport Fellows, they will gain hands-on experience in government, benefit from mentors, and learn how law and public policy are used to effect change for the social good.”
The remaining 2019 fellows and their law schools are: Victoria Arend, Western New England; Dylan Lang, New England; Mary Brigh Lavery, University of Massachusetts; Tiffany Rodriguez, Harvard; qainat khan, Dylan Sullivan, and Brendan Smith, Northeastern; Emily Smith, Suffolk; and Chloe Sugino, Boston University.
The Rappaport Fellows Program, founded by Jerome and Phyllis Rappaport, provides summer internships, mentorship, and educational programming for select students from Boston College Law School, Boston University School of Law, Harvard Law School, Northeastern University School of Law, Suffolk University Law School, New England Law/Boston, and the University of Massachusetts School of Law. Students experience the complexities and rewards of public policy work and public service. They work with top policy makers and are mentored by members of the Rappaport Center’s Advisory Board, prior Rappaport Fellows, Rappaport Center staff, and respected civic leaders in the various fields.
Here are the biographies of the 2019 Rappaport Fellows.
Victoria Arend, a former teacher and active member of her teachers’ union, began her studies at Western New England University School of Law (WNE Law) with a passion for education and labor issues. Prior to law school, Victoria taught French for four years at a public high school in Worcester County. She graduated from Bennington College in 2010 with a BA in French Literature, and, in 2014, earned an MA in French and Francophone Studies from UMass Amherst. Victoria, a 2L, is the first Rappaport Fellow from WNE Law and will be interning this summer at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Mitchell Carney is a 2015 graduate of Smith College, where he earned his BA in Psychology and a dual minor in Economics and Religion. He is currently a first year Public Service Scholar at Boston College Law School. Prior to law school, Mitchell served as a Victims’ Advocate for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where he worked with survivors of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence to elevate their voices and achieve justice. Mitchell is excited to bring his passion for advocacy and equity to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination this summer.
Margaret “Meg” Green is a 1L student at Boston College Law School. Prior to law school, Meg served in Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s administration for five years. Starting in Governor Malloy’s policy office, she worked on a variety of issue areas including economic development, child welfare, public safety, education, and labor. In this role, she drafted and championed progressive legislation and authored a report on pay equity. Additionally, she served as Governor Malloy’s press secretary and as a senior policy and communications advisor. Before working in Connecticut state government, Meg served in the AmeriCorps program Public Allies. A native Texan, Meg graduated with High Honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 with a BA in History. She is looking forward to interning this summer at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in the Appellate Division.
qainat khan, a second year Public Interest Law Scholar at Northeastern University School of Law, worked at WBUR, the NPR news station in Boston, as a newscast producer for a number of years before going to law school. During her time covering local news, the stories she worked on often left her feeling that the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents had little in the way of personal autonomy and that their choices were often circumscribed by rules that they did not have a voice in making. qainat went to law school to consider how laws and policies could be molded—in their creation, substance and interpretation—to promote goals of justice, healing, and collaboration. Her legal interests include housing and racial justice, property law, and land use. qainat earned a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and studied music and gender studies as an undergraduate at Colby College, graduating magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Her non-legal interests include farming, gardening, and generally being outdoors. She will work in the office of Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards this summer.
Dylan Lang is currently a 2L at New England Law | Boston. Prior to law school, Dylan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Counseling and Human Services and subsequently earned his Master of Social Work degree at Boston College. Dylan is a Licensed Certified Social Worker and Licensed School Adjustment Counselor. During his time in Boston, Dylan has interned with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston Arts Academy, and Youth on Fire. This summer, he will be interning for State Senator Joan Lovely.
Mary Brigh Lavery graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Saint Joseph’s University, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Philosophy, History, and Justice and Ethics in the Law. Mary Brigh’s passion for tackling women’s issues began in college when she became an active board member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative on campus. Her desire to address women’s issues and advocate for women’s rights grew when she studied abroad in Brussels, Belgium and extensively researched women and children in the migrant and refugee crisis while interning at the European Parliament of the European Union. She has previously worked at the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of General Counsel. She is currently enrolled in the joint Juris Doctor and Master of Public Policy degree program at the University of Massachusetts School of Law.
Kaitlin “Kadie” Martin graduated from Boston College in 2014 with a BA in Political Science, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and is currently a 1L at Boston College Law School. Prior to law school, Kadie worked in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General’s Division of Open Government. Her team educated public bodies in transparency practices and enforced the Open Meeting Law. Before that, Kadie worked in the Massachusetts State Senate. Kadie is passionate about civic engagement and interested in implementing municipal policies that reflect constituents’ diverse values and community visions. This summer, Kadie will be interning in the City of Boston Law Department.
Dylan O’Sullivan is a 1L at Northeastern University School of Law and a 2013 graduate of Northeastern University, where he earned a B.S. in Political Science, summa cum laude. Experience as a community and student organizer inspired his career in public service and a commitment to better connecting communities with their government. After graduating, Dylan worked as the Legal Assistant in Governor Deval Patrick’s Office of Legal Counsel, an experience that solidified his decision to pursue a legal education. After the Patrick Administration, Dylan joined the staff of Congressman Seth Moulton where he filled a number of roles establishing the freshman Congressman’s office, ultimately serving as Director of Constituent Services. Dylan is particularly passionate about housing and education policy and the state budget process. He will be interning in the Office of Senate Counsel.
Tiffany Rodriguez, a 1L at Harvard Law School, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Bioethics, cum laude. While there, she cultivated her passion for the interplay between law, health, and policy, specifically within immigrant communities. Prior to law school, Tiffany worked as a Senior Research Assistant at NAXION, a healthcare-focused consulting group in Philadelphia. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys baking and binging on too many legal dramas. This summer, she will be interning at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Brendan Smith, a 1L at Northeastern University School of Law, earned a BA in criminal justice, magna cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in 2014, and an MA in criminal justice, magna cum laude, from Curry College in 2016. In the pursuit of his master’s degree, he researched the impact of the opioid crisis on communities in the Greater Boston area. A proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Brendan worked as a police officer prior to law school and is currently a supervisor for a Boston-area police department. Brendan will intern in the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security this summer.
Emily Smith, a 2L at Suffolk University Law School, graduated from Saint Joseph’s University, with a major in political science and a minor in Latin American Studies. Prior to law school, Emily worked for three years as an investigator at the Defender Association of Philadelphia in the Mental Health Special Defense Unit and spent a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps working at the Orleans Public Defenders. Most recently, she has been interning at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD). Emily is particularly interested in civil rights law with a focus on the intersection of LGBTQ rights and the criminal justice system. She will be working at the Attorney General’s Office this summer.
Chloe Sugino, a first-year student at Boston University School of Law, graduated from Marquette University in 2015, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Before law school, Chloe served as a Jesuit Volunteer Corps member at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in rural Washington State, working with migrant farm workers and victims of domestic violence. Her family’s history and experiences as a Jesuit Volunteer sparked her passion for immigration policy. Last summer, she interned at Kids In Need of Defense, assisting unaccompanied minors obtain Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. This summer, she will be interning at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where she hopes to continue being an advocate for immigrant communities.