Three Northeastern Law Students Named 2026 Rappaport Fellows

06.04.2026 — Michaela Caplan ’28, Robert Fernandez ’28 and Nicole Levesque ’28 have been named 2026 Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy Fellows. The Rappaport Summer Fellowship in Law and Public Policy places law students from Massachusetts’ eight ABA-accredited law schools in 10-week internships at the highest levels of state and municipal government, where they engage in meaningful, hands-on policy work. Each student receives a $10,000 stipend. Caplan will serve this summer in the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities; Fernandez will serve in the Legal Office of Governor Maura Healey '98; Levesque will serve in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

Before law school, Caplan worked as a faith-based community organizer in Massachusetts, organizing clergy into local legislative campaigns with a focus on transformational criminal justice policy. Her work centered on building coalitions across difference, elevating the voices of directly impacted communities, and broadening the conversation about the impact of mass criminalization. A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, she has 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.

“The Rappaport Fellowship’s emphasis on building connections, fostering dialogue and advancing policy as a means to promote democratic values makes it an incubator for transformative leadership in the commonwealth,” Caplan said. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the Rappaport Fellowship’s mission and network, and I feel confident that the knowledge and relationships I gain this summer will orient me toward an impactful legal career dedicated to advancing public service and building a more just commonwealth.”

Fernandez, a former senior policy coordinator and legislative liaison for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, worked in both the Health Care Division and the Policy and Government Affairs Division, advocating for legislative proposals ranging from reentry services for justice-impacted individuals to comprehensive firearm safety reform. A first-generation law student and 2020 cum laude graduate of New York University, he is committed to ensuring that future policy decisions reflect the needs and perspectives of the communities they most directly impact.

“The Rappaport Fellowship offers an incredible opportunity to explore the intersection of law and public policy,” said Fernandez. “Before law school, my policy work at the Attorney General’s Office deepened my commitment to public service and showed me how law and public policy can shape the lives of everyday people. This fellowship will allow me to build on that foundation, sharpen my skills and prepare me to continue this work after law school.”

Before starting law school, Levesque worked in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, implementing the Affordable Care Act by managing health insurance plans on HealthCare.gov. A graduate of Stonehill College with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru working on water, sanitation and hygiene in a rural jungle community, and graduated from the Brandeis Heller School in 2021 with a Master of Science in Global Health Policy and Management.

“My shift from direct service in the Peace Corps to a position in the federal government left me wondering about the options in between, and how to find a fulfilling legal career,” Levesque said. “As a first-generation lawyer, the Rappaport Fellowship’s mentorship and extensive network will be uniquely valuable in guiding me to the right fit within the Massachusetts health policy space. I am excited and honored to grow alongside a community of Rappaport Fellows and mentors, and to carry on the Center’s mission”

“Policy is the bridge between our vision of a just world and our reality,” said Amanda Teo, executive director ofthe Rappaport Center. “At a time of political division and growing cynicism, cultivating leaders equipped to make a difference has never been more important."

The Rappaport Center, housed at Boston College Law School and funded through an endowment by the Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, advances the mission of inspiring, sustaining and improving leadership in law and public policy through its Distinguished Public Policy Series, Rappaport Senior Fellows and Visiting Professors program and the Fellowship in Law and Public Policy.