BBA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Summer Fellowship: End of Summer Reflections 2025

This summer, I had the privilege of serving as a legal intern at the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission through the Boston Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Summer Fellowship Program…I learned to approach facts objectively, to write with precision, and to organize complex legal arguments in a way that was both fair and accessible. This internship advanced my legal career in fundamental ways—building my writing, analysis, and professionalism at every stage.

My summer at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) was an invaluable experience that both sharpened my legal skills and expanded my vision for my career…my work included researching current issues for adjudication, drafting memorandums on relevant case law, and sitting in on the General Counsel’s litigation discussions. These opportunities deepened my understanding of how environmental regulations are enforced and how agencies balance policy objectives with legal frameworks. I learned how scientific and technical considerations are woven into legal arguments, an intersection that resonates deeply with my background.

This summer, I had the privilege of interning for ten weeks at the City of Boston’s Law Department, assisting the Government and Litigation team. The department handles a wide range of matters affecting the city, and I was fortunate to work on cases that were as complex as they were impactful. From the start, I was welcomed into a collaborative environment where every case, memo, and motion reflected a deep commitment to public service… Being able to occupy this space was truly rewarding. I had never imagined myself in such a position, contributing to the work of a city law department and, in my own way, advocating for such a large and significant entity as the City of Boston. This experience advanced my legal career by sharpening my research and writing skills, improving my ability to synthesize large amounts of information, and giving me a clearer understanding of how litigation strategy is shaped in practice. It was both insightful and powerful, reminding me of the importance of approaching every assignment with cultural awareness, empathy, and respect for the diverse communities affected by the law. These values guided how I engaged with my work throughout the summer.

This summer, I interned at the Roxbury office of the Committee for Public Counsel Services’ (“CPCS”) Youth Advocacy Division (“YAD”), where I gained exposure to many facets of juvenile defense work: client counseling, legal research, motion drafting, discovery review, planning trial strategy, etc…I started the summer off feeling unsure about the kind of career opportunities I wanted to pursue post-graduation. The greatest gift of this internship was leaving with clarity and confidence: after graduating law school, I want to be a public defender—and I now trust that I can excel in that role.

This summer, I worked in the Office of General Counsel for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). My main project was to work on a legal memo that explores the future of state statute 151C, which addresses educational discrimination…Guidance from my BBA mentor, Anant Saraswat, helped me realize that lawyers come from all backgrounds in the truest sense. Learning about his STEM background and practice in the legal profession highlighted to me that lawyers do not come from the same cloth. Everyone has distinct and unique backgrounds which can all be useful and celebrated when serving the public.

This summer, I had the privilege of working at the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in Boston, where I served as a summer fellow in the Legal Division. The OIG’s objective is to promote integrity, transparency, and accountability in public spending, and I was fortunate to contribute to this mission through a combination of legal research and investigative support…This experience significantly advanced my legal career. It was great exposure to government oversight work and to the field of public procurement, an area I had not previously studied in law school. I gained valuable experience reading and interpreting statutory text, analyzing how laws are implemented, and understanding the broader implications of legal work on public accountability. More broadly, I deepened my appreciation for the role lawyers play in protecting the public interest; not only through litigation or advocacy, but through careful research, policy development, and internal agency guidance.

It is not an exaggeration to say that interning for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) was a dream come true. I chose to go to law school to make the world safer for my fellow transgender community members…by far, the most important work I did pertained to research concerning M.G.L. § 151C: The Fair Educational Practices Act…With the help of my fellow interns, we wrote a memo analyzing M.G.L. 151C from every angle, and making recommendations of how to expand the MCAD’s jurisdiction over education. The work I did this summer will help the MCAD in their quest to petition the legislature to expand the MCAD’s jurisdiction over education. I am proud to say that I had a hand in making educational institutions in Massachusetts safer for all students.

I am so fortunate to be given the opportunity to participate in the Boston Bar Association’s DEIB Summer Fellowship this summer. As I conclude my first summer in Boston, I look back on the invaluable experience I gained. Interning for the Department of Children and Families’ Office of General Counsel was exactly the hands-on experience I sought after…Meeting with my BBA mentor for coffee was a bonus to the whole BBA summer experience. I got to connect and learn a lot about different avenues of the legal industry from someone who has a decade of experience. Overall, I highly recommend any law student interested in advancing diversity in the legal field to take the opportunity to work with the BBA.

During the summer of 2025, I was granted the privilege of serving the Suffolk County DA’s Office as a 3:03 Student Prosecutor on behalf of the Commonwealth. The experience was like no other internship I could’ve asked for. The opportunity to stand before a judge prior to completing law school (even on a simple arraignment) was rewarding in and of itself. That said, being placed in a fast-paced environment, learning a plethora of information on the fly, only to implement said information into an active matter before a judge on a moment’s notice, was an exhilarating experience! The fact that we were granted our own caseload made the opportunity a dream come true.

This summer, I had the privilege of serving as a Legal Intern in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Civil Rights Division (CRD). The CRD is tasked with enforcing state and federal civil rights laws and ensuring equal treatment and protections for all residents of the Commonwealth. The division’s work ranges from combating housing and employment discrimination, to protecting language access rights, to addressing unconstitutional conditions in correctional facilities. Being part of this office allowed me to see firsthand how the law can be leveraged as a tool of justice and systemic change.

One highlight of my summer was drafting a section of a memorandum analyzing whether conditions in a Massachusetts ICE detention facility violated constitutional protections afforded to civil detainees. My research focused on how courts in the First Circuit have applied the “deliberate indifference” standard from Farmer v. Brennan and Estelle v. Gamble, and whether Massachusetts’s own constitutional protections under Article 26 could provide additional safeguards. Having my analysis contribute to the office’s broader litigation strategy was both humbling and affirming. It reminded me that even as a law student, my work can meaningfully shape the pursuit of justice.

This summer, I had the privilege of serving as a legal intern in the General Counsel’s Office of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) through the Boston Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Summer Fellowship Program…This experience advanced my legal career in important ways. I developed stronger legal research and writing skills through drafting procedural memoranda, motions to strike, and motions to sever and dismiss. These assignments required me to synthesize statutes, regulations, and case law while maintaining a clear, professional, and persuasive writing style. I deepened my knowledge of administrative law practice, particularly the procedural nuance of agency appeals, and the strategic considerations involved in regulatory interpretation. Working in a small, fast-paced legal office allowed me to see how in-house counsel balances different responsibilities – providing immediate legal advice to leadership, preparing for litigation, and managing ongoing compliance concerns.

On May 29^th, I found myself gazing up at the wind-weathered façade of the John W. McCormack Courthouse. As my throat tightened with apprehension, I crossed the threshold into 11 weeks of passionate learning, thoughtful litigation, and long days wrestling with The Bluebook. During my time as a DEIB fellow in Judge Panos’s chambers at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Massachusetts, I developed a budding interest into a raring passion. At the start of the summer, I had never read a bankruptcy court opinion, much less understood the intricacies of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. My first day in chambers, I sat at a wooden desk, petrified as I held Collier’s Pamphlet Edition of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure in one hand and the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the other. However, through discrete research projects and bench memos on complex code interpretation, my apprehension melted into excitement. And soon, that excitement became an obsession.