Freshman and Terrier F1RST Jerry Chen receives fellowship for project aiming to address lack of legal education in students

Growing up in New York City in a predominantly immigrant community below the poverty line, Jerry Chen, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he noticed gaps in the education system in his area. So he decided to do something about it.

Jerry Chen poses for a picture in front of the Massachusetts State House. Chen is interning at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, working to fight housing discrimination. COURTESY OF DONALD ZHENG

Chen is currently a housing intern working on special projects at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in Boston, a local civil law enforcement agency. Chen said he thinks advocacy work is a “huge part in our society right now,” and legal education in particular gives individuals the tools to advocate for themselves.

To further his cause, Chen started a project called the “Legal Studies Institute,” which increases the aim of using this legal knowledge in students.

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