Feature Stories 2015: Sara Mycock Cederholm: Exploring the intersection of law & public education

‌Sara Mycock Cederholm JD '15 was a registered nurse for ten years. The wife and mother of two (a daughter, 12, and a son, 14) took time off to raise her children—but when she was ready to return to work, she decided to pursue her Juris Doctor degree at UMass Law.

The Middleboro resident will begin work as a law clerk at the Massachusetts Appeals Court in August, following the bar exam.

The intersection of law & education 

I've served on my local school committee for the last eight years and developed a real desire to acquire a better understanding of how federal, state, and local government and laws intersect in public education—as well as how school districts can provide high quality education, especially to our most vulnerable populations.  

I chose UMass Law because I was drawn to its commitment to public interest law and access to justice. Also, the fact that it is the only public law school in Massachusetts and is affordable.

Editor-in-chief: UMass Law Review

As editor-in-chief of the UMass Law Review, I have been able to ensure that our law review journal reflects both its mission and the school's mission of advancing access to justice through legal scholarship. I've had the opportunity to work closely with incredibly talented students.  

Internships & classroom experiences

I interned with the Hon. Margot Botsford of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: a truly amazing experience with a truly amazing woman. I developed an appreciation and understanding of the work that our state's highest court does when trying to interpret and apply our laws in order to see that justice is served.  

I also interned at the U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Civil Rights, where I witnessed parents accessing the resources of the federal government in order to protect their children's constitutional rights. I have interned at the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, as well.

I will forever be grateful for my day-to-day classroom experiences—such as Trial Practice with Judge Jacobs, Civil Procedure with Prof. Amy Reichbach, Torts with Professor Peltz-Steele, and Field Placement with John Quinn (among many others). Those discussions, debates, lectures, and all of the support outside of the classroom, were truly significant experiences.

Future plans: law clerk at Massachusetts Appeals Court

I have been hired by Chief Justice Phillip Rapoza to work as a law clerk at the Massachusetts Appeals Court starting in August, 2015, after I pass the bar exam.

I will forever be grateful for my day-to-day classroom experiences...Those discussions, debates, lectures, and all of the support outside of the classroom, were truly significant experiences.