The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy celebrates its twenty-fifth year and has selected 13 law students to participate in its annual summer fellowship. Among them are BC Law’s Andrew Guay ’28, Molly Murphy ’28, and Angela Rusha ’28.
As part of the fellowship, students receive placement support in a state and local government agency, are paired with mentors, and learn about Massachusetts state policy through unique experiential learning opportunities.
Below are the biographies of the 2026 recipients.
Julia Berard is a rising 2L at Boston University School of Law. She earned her BA in American Studies from Wesleyan University, with a minor in Film Studies and a certificate in Writing. As an undergraduate, Berard interned for US Senator Barbara Mikulski and EMILY’s List, experiences that sparked her interest in Democratic politics and public service. Berard has since worked on political campaigns at the federal, statewide, and local levels. Most recently, Berard served as deputy campaign manager to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, which has inspired her to pursue a career in policy. Between campaign cycles, Berard taught English as a Foreign Language in Santiago, Chile, and Nagoya, Japan. Berard will be spending her summer at the Attorney General’s Office in the Reproductive Justice Unit. She will be mentored by Eric Lesser, senior counsel at WilmerHale, former state senator, and Rappaport Center board member as well as Jennifer Serafyn, partner at Seyfarth Shaw and former chief of civil rights at the US Attorney’s Office.
Yssis Cano-Santiago is a rising 2L and ASPIRE scholar at Boston University School of Law. Cano-Santiago holds a BA in Global Public Health and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia where she was a QuestBridge Match recipient. Originally from Orlando, Florida, she was raised by her mother and grandmother and is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. Her experience as a former Medicaid recipient shaped her commitment to helping low-income, BIPOC communities, like her own, gain access to comprehensive and affordable healthcare. In the summer of 2023, Cano-Santiago moved to Boston where she worked for two years as a paralegal at the Boston Public Health Commission. She also served as the 2024-2025 Writer-in-Residence for the Associates of the Boston Public Library, where she completed a young adult manuscript that was added to the Boston Public Library’s Archives. Through this experience, she was profiled by the Boston Globe and the Bay State Banner. Cano-Santiago will spend her summer at the Attorney General’s Office in the Medicaid Fraud Division. Her mentors are Mary Beckman, former senior advisor in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Carmen Ortiz, partner at Anderson Krieger and former US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Michaela Caplan is a rising 2L at Northeastern University School of Law. Caplan is a cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, where she majored in Anthropology modified with English. Before law school, she worked as a faith-based community organizer in Massachusetts, organizing clergy into local legislative campaigns with a focus on transformational criminal justice policy. A large part of her work was centered on building coalitions across difference, elevating the voices of directly impacted communities, and broadening the conversation about the impact of mass criminalization. Caplan has also held digital communications roles for movement organizations and worked as an electoral organizer and field director for progressive presidential and congressional candidates. Her experience volunteering as an EMT at the Standing Rock Dakota Access Pipeline Protests instilled in her an abiding belief in the power of people to make transformational change in the face of structural violence. Caplan will spend her summer at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Her mentors are Anthony Benedetti, chief counsel at the Committee for Public Counsel Services and Rappaport Center board member, and Lizz Matos, chief of the civil rights division and senior advisor to the Attorney General.
Robert Fernandez is a rising 2L at Northeastern University School of Law. A Miami native, Fernandez graduated cum laude from New York University in 2020 with a BA in Politics and Romance Languages (French & Italian). Upon graduation, he relocated to Boston to join the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where he gained valuable experience in the healthcare and policy and government affairs divisions. During this time, Fernandez worked under both the Healey and Campbell administrations, advocating for key legislative proposals that addressed some of the most pressing challenges facing the Commonwealth, from reentry services for justice-impacted individuals to comprehensive firearm safety reform. As a first-generation law student, Fernandez is committed to utilizing his diverse background and professional experience to ensure that future policy decisions reflect the needs and perspectives of the communities they most directly impact. Fernandez will spend his summer in the Governor’s Legal Office. His mentors are James Bor-Zale, counsel at WilmerHale, former special assistant attorney general in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Jennifer Miller, co-chair of the government and election law practice at Hemenway & Barnes and former chief legal counsel at the Massachusetts Senate.
Isabelle Fonseca is a rising 2L and Public Interest Law Fellow at UMass School of Law. Fonseca graduated from Boston University with a BA in Political Science and African American and Black Diaspora Studies, where she grounded her academic work in community service-oriented experiences. She was born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Cape Verdean immigrant parents. Growing up in an immigrant household, she saw firsthand how public policy shapes everyday life and often leaves families like hers unheard and underrepresented. Fonseca interned with Act On Mass, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to increasing transparency in the Massachusetts State House, and later served on the immigration team of Senator Edward J. Markey’s Boston office. She looks forward to using her law degree to further her commitment to advancing equity and expanding access to justice for underserved communities. Fonseca will spend her summer in the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement. She’ll be mentored by Sean Fontes, employment and litigation counsel at Partridge Snow & Hahn, former head of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training’s legal division, and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Ana Muñoz, partner at Zalkind, Duncan, and Bernstein.
Andrew Guay, a rising 2L at Boston College Law School, was born in Burlington, Vermont, and raised in Gardner, Massachusetts, where he was actively involved in his community as an athlete, Boy Scout, and member of student government. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2017 and was commissioned as an infantry officer in the US Army. During his service, he completed Ranger School, Airborne School, and Jumpmaster School. Throughout his eight years in the Army, Guay served at Fort Richardson, Alaska, with the 1st Battalion, 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, and later at Fort Myer, Virginia, with the 3d US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). While serving in the Old Guard, Guay supported ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the US Capitol, the White House, and a Presidential funeral and inauguration. He lives in Gardner with his wife, Ivy, and their two children. Guay will spend his summer in the Attorney General’s Office in Worcester. His mentors are Michael Caljouw, Massachusetts commissioner of insurance and Rappaport Center board chair, as well as Vincent DeMore, principal of Henning Strategies.
Jackson Killilea is a rising 2L at Harvard Law School. Originally from Barrington, Rhode Island, he graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College in 2023 with a BA in Sociology and a concentration in Law and Society. Before law school, Jackson worked as an intake coordinator in the civil rights division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where he assisted constituents facing discrimination in housing, employment, and education. He also contributed to the Police Accountability Unit’s investigations into patterns or practices of racially biased policing across Massachusetts. Outside the AGO, he coached the junior varsity ultimate frisbee team at Boston College High School in Dorchester. In law school, Jackson is involved in the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project, the Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and his section’s intramural basketball team. Killilea will spend his summer in the Committee for Public Counsel Services’ Children and Family Law Division. His mentors are Susan Finegan, member and chair of the pro bono committee at Mintz and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Jon Miller, chief program officer for the Public Rights Project.
Nicole Levesque is a rising 2L at Northeastern University School of Law. Originally from New Hampshire, Levesque graduated from Stonehill College in 2018 with a BA in Political Science and Spanish, and a minor in Latin American Studies. She then served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru working on water, sanitation, and hygiene in a rural jungle community. She graduated from Brandeis University with an MS in Global Health Policy and Management in 2021. Before starting law school, Levesque worked at the US Department of Health and Human Services, implementing the Affordable Care Act by managing health insurance plans on HealthCare.gov. Levesque will be spending her summer at the Executive Office for Health and Human Services. She will be mentored by Nikki Hadas, chief legal officer at ARTBIO and Rappaport Center board member, and Christie Hager, senior advisor to the office of accountable care and behavioral health at MassHealth.
Maya Lytje is a rising 2L at Harvard Law School. Lytje holds a BA in Public Policy and Linguistics as well as a Certificate in Human Rights from Duke University, where she was a QuestBridge scholar. There, she conducted a literature review and developed an Excel-based research tool on the Leave No One Behind principle of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which she presented at the Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship Fulbright Exchange Program on Social Justice and Human Rights. Prior to law school, Lytje worked as a project analyst at the law firm Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, PC, where she worked on health law, government relations, immigration, pro bono, and IP litigation. In law school, Lytje is involved in the Tenant Advocacy Project and the Harvard Human Rights Journal. Lytje will spend her summer at the Governor’s Office of Policy & Cabinet Affairs. Her mentors are Donna Patalano, inaugural director for the justice review unit of the Massachusetts Attorney General and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Matt Segal, co-director of the ACLU state supreme court initiative.
Molly Murphy is a rising 2L at Boston College Law School. Prior to law school, Murphy had a career in political fundraising working on campaigns at the national, statewide, congressional, and local level. Her campaign experiences include serving as US Senator Patty Murray’s national finance director, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s deputy finance director, and as a member of President Biden’s 2020 Tri-State finance team. Most recently, she ran her own political fundraising consultancy helping candidates and political nonprofits develop and execute their finance programs. She is an honors graduate of Williams College with a BA in American Studies and Art History. At BC Law, she is involved in the Public Interest Law Foundation, If/When/How, and the American Constitution Society. Murphy will spend her summer in the Attorney General’s Housing Affordability Unit. Her mentors are Paige Scott Reed, partner at Prince Lobel, former chief legal counsel for Governor Maura Healey and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Sam Dinning, chief of staff and policy at the City of Boston law department.
Jennifer Price is a rising 2L at Boston University School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude from Boston University with a BA in Russian Language & Literature with a minor in History. Prior to law school, she worked for the City of Somerville as the inspectional services department paralegal, serving as a liaison between the department and the city’s law division. While in this role, Jennifer worked on a broad spectrum of municipal matters, from public records to proposed legislation. This experience cemented her interest in reducing barriers to public services and information to promote accessible, open government. Price will spend her summer in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Her mentors are Kim Atkins Stohr, senior opinion writer for the Boston Globe and Rappaport Center board member, and Adam Cederbaum, general counsel for the Longwood Collective and former corporation counsel for the City of Boston.
Angela Rusha is a rising 2L at Boston College Law School. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, she received her BA in English and Political Science at College of the Holy Cross. As a child of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, she was motivated to become involved with the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project (WRAP), an organization that provides advocacy and educational opportunities to migrants in Central Massachusetts. At Holy Cross, Rusha served as co-director of student programs for urban development, where she led a cohort of students in mentoring recently resettled Afghan and Haitian migrant children at WRAP. Her subsequent work as an ESL teacher and youth program director for WRAP broadened her perspective on the challenges faced by marginalized communities and further ignited her passion for advocacy. Her commitment to public service deepened through her work as an immigration legal intern, where she provided low-income individuals with affordable legal representation. Rusha will spend her summer at the Office of Refugees and Immigrants. Her mentors are Ân Lê, deputy chief of equity and inclusion for the City of Boston and Rappaport Center board member, as well as Mary Murrane, former acting US attorney and chief of the civil division at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Andrew Whitcomb is a rising 2L at Suffolk University Law School and a lifelong resident of Saugus, Massachusetts. He holds an MBA with a focus in Managerial Leadership as well as a BS in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. For two years, Whitcomb represented the 5-Campus UMass System on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, where he advocated for expansions to financial aid programs targeting low-income and first-generation students. Whitcomb maintains active involvement in political affairs and advocacy in Essex County and on Beacon Hill, serving for a time as a member of Saugus’s Annual Town Meeting. Growing up as a quadruplet to a single mother, he saw firsthand the need for social programs and community engagement. He hosts a cable access show called “Know Your Town,” where he invites local officials to join him in explaining their roles through civic engagement and the function of government. Whitcomb will spend his summer at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. His mentors are Rappaport Center board members Peter Flaherty, co-founder of Esplanade Strategies and former assistant district attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, and Bill Walczak, chair for the boards of Bunker Hill Community College and Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.