UMass Law UMass Law: Rebecca Wood named UMass Law's 10th Rappaport Fellow

JD candidate interns in the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office

Rebecca Wood, a Public Interest Law Fellow and JD candidate for the class of 2026, has been named a 2024 Rappaport Fellow, the 10^th in UMass Law's history. This prestigious fellowship in law and public policy provides 12 Boston-area law students with a $10,000 stipend and a summer internship at one of the top levels of state and municipal government. Wood will spend this summer interning full-time for the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in the Division of Open Government. 

"I am incredibly honored to have been selected as a Rappaport Fellow," Wood said. "This fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity, and I was very surprised to be chosen. I love when I can expand what I previously thought possible of myself, and I've learned so much beyond just legal issues—about society and different positions in the legal field." 

The Rappaport Fellowship is a highly competitive program that aims to develop the next generation of public policy leaders by offering students an invaluable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the public sector. 

Wood's journey in public policy took off after her daughter, Charlie, was born prematurely.  Wood feared for her newborn daughter's insurability and the medical treatment she would require and joined the fight to save the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. 

Since then, she has worked with numerous groups and testified on Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill, including at the introduction of Senator Bernie Sanders's Medicare For All Act of 2017 and before the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee in 2019. 

"This fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity. I love when I can expand what I previously thought possible of myself, and I've learned so much beyond just legal issues—about society and different positions in the legal field."

The value of a Juris Doctor

Wood found her calling advocating for causes, winning universal school meals in Massachusetts public schools, but decided a legal education would help her become the most effective advocate she could be.

"I decided I have a policy problem, and in order to get better at it, I needed to understand the law," she said. "I've been in countless policy meetings where no one has a legal education and I have to ask, 'Can we actually do that?' Learning about the law and developing critical thinking skills in law school will help me become a better advocate. There's also a power that comes with having an attorney involved in your cause.

"Everyone knows law school is expensive, so it seemed impossible for someone like me. I figured I'd take it one step at a time, cross each bridge as I get to it, and see how far I get. The Public Interest Law Fellowship (PILF) gives UMass Law students a 50% scholarship, and I earned merit scholarships to cover most of the rest of my education. UMass Law makes a legal education very affordable for someone like me."

Shaping career goals

Working in the Division of Open Government in the MA Attorney General's Office, Wood is developing extensive experience with legal writing, networking with other public sector attorneys, and forming perspectives that will shape her own legal career.

"My colleagues have been phenomenal in helping me become a better writer," she said. "I don't think I would have applied for this without being encouraged by my faculty to do so. Now I'm gaining experience that's helping me grow exponentially. I'm not sure I would have gotten this level of support in another job or at a different law school."