Berry Public Service Fellowship Sends First Cohort of Law Students to Washington, D.C.
Three University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law students spent summer 2026 working in Washington, D.C., as members of the inaugural cohort of Berry Public Service Fellows.
The fellowship provides law students committed to public service with an opportunity to gain immersive, high-impact experience in Washington, D.C., through placements with government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The fellowship also provides some financial support for living expenses. The program aims to inspire fellows to pursue careers in public service.
Jennie Chandra, a partner at Convergence Strategies LLC, a government affairs firm, created the fellowship in honor of her parents, Alonzo Franklin Berry and Mary Ann Kessler Berry. Chandra, who graduated from Stanford Law School, but she has ties to Kentucky because she grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and her father graduated from the law school at UK in 1969.
“I did this in honor of my parents because they both always believed in investing in education and public service, particularly in their home state of Kentucky,” Chandra said. “So, this just made a lot of sense.”
Alonzo Franklin Berry died July 14, 2026. He earned a J.D. from the University of Kentucky and an LL.M. in tax law from the University of Miami. During his career, he worked as an attorney for the U.S. Army in Vietnam, the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., and a Florida law firm. He also served as general counsel for Western Kentucky University and founded Berry Law Firm in Bowling Green.
“The hope was that we would be investing in students who have a heart for public service, and who genuinely want to help make public policy better in the country,” Chandra said.
Chandra said she was pleased with the students selected for the fellowship and they did an excellent job in their roles.
Third-year law student Clare Hillen, who is from Minnesota, worked as a legal intern in the Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division in Washington, D.C.
“Being a Berry Fellow was truly a life-changing experience for me,” Hillen said. “Without the support, I wouldn't have been able to work in D.C. during the summer. While in D.C., I was able to make so many connections with many great attorneys, including fostering mentorships at my internship.”
Hillen said she hopes to return to Washington, D.C., after graduation and believes the connections she made during summer 2026 will make her a stronger job candidate.
Third-year law student Daniel Mares of New York worked as a legal intern with Advancing American Freedom.
“Spending the summer in Washington, D.C. during the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence made an already special experience even more memorable,” Mares said. “My time at Advancing American Freedom was intellectually stimulating and gave me the opportunity to engage with important legal and public policy issues. I am incredibly grateful to the Berry family for their generosity in making this experience possible”
Third-year law student Julia Wattenbarger, who is from South Carolina, worked as a judicial intern for Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby at the D.C. Court of Appeals and in the D.C. Courts Access to Justice Unit.
“The Berry Public Service Fellowship made a summer in Washington, D.C. that would have otherwise been financially out of reach a reality,” she said. “Splitting my time between the chambers of Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby at the D.C. Court of Appeals and the D.C. Courts Access to Justice Unit provided an invaluable perspective on our legal system, and the opportunity to examine judicial administration and court accessibility firsthand solidified my commitment to building a public interest career in the district.”