Two BU Law Students Named Fellows of Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy

Kenneth Meador (’18) and Rachel Rose (’18) earned prestigious summer internships in Massachusetts state government offices.

Since its inception, the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy has placed 192 law students in a wide variety of public service-related internships, focusing on issues of special interest within the greater Boston area. Fellows will spend the summer working in key state and city government agencies, attending weekly seminars to help them process their experiences and learn more about legal careers in public service, and forming relationships with mentors who can help them further explore their career interests.

“This year’s 2016 Rappaport Fellows are an extraordinary group of law students who exude passion and commitment to bettering communities, the environment, education, access to justice, women’s rights, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and the world,” said Rappaport Center Executive Director Elisabeth J. Medvedow. “The Rappaport Fellowship affords them opportunities to 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 center picks 12 fellows each year from among applicants attending seven law schools throughout the Boston area: Boston University School of Law, New England School of Law, Northeastern University School of Law, Harvard Law School, Suffolk University Law School, University of Massachusetts School of Law, and Boston College Law School.

Boston University School of Law’s two 2016 Rappaport Fellows are both rising 2Ls, serving in state government agencies.

Kenneth Meador

Meador is serving his internship at the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services. He is working with the department to help people who apply for for Chapter 115 Benefits, which offer financial assistance to Massachusetts veterans who qualify. “It’s a really great program, kind of unique in the nation in that it provides this kind of assistance to veterans who really need it,” Meador says.

A veteran himself, Meador entered the US Army in 2002 and served three tours in Iraq as a combat medic. After the Army, Meador enrolled in Oklahoma City Community College on the GI Bill®. In 2011, while still a college student, he campaigned for (but did not win) a seat in the Oklahoma State Senate. In 2013, he interned in the congressional office of Representative Tom Cole (R-OK). He graduated in 2014 from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in political science and government and a minor in Constitutional studies. He came to Boston with his wife Anita, and his two sons Brayden (now 12) and Boston (now 4).

“I’m really honored to have gotten the Rappaport, it’s a pretty amazing fellowship,” Meador says.

After law school, Meador hopes to continue working on behalf of veterans. In 2011, Meador addressed legislators on Higher Education Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol, recounting how he went from a high school dropout to a combat medic to a college student, and speaking of his desire to enter public service: “I hope that I’ll be able to give back to those in our community that have already given so much of themselves and their families so that we may all be free.”

Rachel Rose

Rose is working this summer in the Civil Rights Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts. “Right now I’m working on a variety of issues ranging from housing discrimination to discrimination based on disability,” she says. “We’re doing a lot of research, and I spend a lot of my day just getting to know what lawyers do.”

The Civil Rights Division fits in with Rose’s longtime passion for social justice. After graduating from Gallaudet University with a degree in history, Rose served as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Kenya and Guyana. The child of two deaf parents, Rose focused her time in the Corps on deaf education. She worked for two years in Kenya, where she helped create a glossary for Kenyan Sign Language. She later served in the Berbice province of Guyana.

At BU Law, Rose is a member of OutLaw and the Public Interest Project. Right now, she says, her main goals are to continue to contribute to the law school through student organizations, graduate with good grades, and find a job where she can make a positive impact on her community. After law school, she is interested in exploring a career in government.

“Just becoming a part of the Rappaport Center and learning more about what the foundation stands for has been a tremendous experience in itself,” Rose says. “We’ve had incredible opportunities to learn about lawyering for the government through our visits to the State House, City Hall, the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, and so much more. I feel really lucky to be a part of this program.”

Reported by Trevor Persaud (STH’18).