Top: MBA President Thomas M. Bond.
Second from top (From left): Allie Ford, MBF donor relations and event manager; Lisa Delgado, assistant register, Worcester Probate and Family Court; attorney Akosua Agyepong, Sequel Law LLC, Worcester; attorney James W. Rosseel, Worcester JYC coordinator; Susannah Thomas, MBF executive director; MBA President Thomas M. Bond; attorney Luke Rosseel, Worcester JYC coordinator.
Second from bottom: Hon. David P. Despotopulos, first justice of the Worcester District Court.
Bottom: Attendees at the JYC graduation ceremony.
Fifteen Worcester high school students marked their graduation from this summer’s Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) Judicial Youth Corps (JYC) program during a ceremony at the Worcester County Courthouse on Aug. 12.
JYC participants spent six weeks in paid, court-based internships and attended regular educational sessions to learn about the judicial branch and the rule of law. Administered by the Massachusetts Bar Association in partnership with the SJC, the program took place in person this summer for the first time in two years. With the program returning to its traditional format, students had the opportunity to take part in a shadow day with one of six judges: Hon. David P. Despotopulos, Hon. Jennifer L. Ginsburg, Hon. Janet Kenton-Walker, Hon. James Gavin Reardon Jr., Hon. Daniel M. Wrenn and Hon. Valerie A. Yarashus.
Event speakers included Hon. David P. Despotopulos, first justice of the Worcester District Court; MBA President Thomas M. Bond; Worcester JYC Coordinators James W. Rosseel and Luke Rosseel; attorney Leonardo A. Angiulo, who represented the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, which funds the Worcester program; and attorney Akosua Agyepong, a former participant in the program.
“The Massachusetts Bar Association is proud to partner with the SJC on this immersive learning experience, which gives Worcester high school students the opportunity of a lifetime to learn what judges do and how courtrooms function," Bond said. "The ceremony offered a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our 15 participating Worcester JYC students and thank the program coordinators, court leaders, judges and staff members, and our colleagues at the Massachusetts Bar Foundation for making this program possible.”
Established by the SJC in 1991, the JYC program provides hands-on legal instruction to diverse groups of students from urban areas, including its original location in Boston. The MBA joined with the SJC in 2007 to expand the program to Worcester and has partnered with Western New England University School of Law in past years to offer the program in Springfield.