For Westborough student, third year is the charm
By Shelly Schweizer Contributing Writer

JoAnn Amico of Westborough PHOTO/SHELLY SCHWEIZER

Westborough - It was at while she was a student in Nancy Power's legal studies class at Westborough High School, arguing cases, that JoAnn Amico decided to become a lawyer.

"I thought, 'This is something I want to do,'" said Amico, a third-year student at Suff olk University Law School in Boston. "I wanted to go to law school after that class."

Last summer, Amico interned at South Middlesex Legal Services in Framingham (SMLS), where she assisted the attorneys and paralegals in the area of family law. This past winter, SMLS off ered Amico a year-long, paid position, funded by a $46,000 grant from the Metrowest Com- munity Health Care Foundation, to provide outreach and assistance to people who are eligible to enroll in Commonwealth Care, a new program off ered by the commonwealth to provide health insurance to people who earn too much to qualify for Mass. Health but can't afford private insurance. Amico helps clients through the application process and offers them advice about their health care insurance options.

"Trying to find people in the middle is challenging," she said. "Most people have health insurance from their employer."

At 24, Amico is among the youngest students in her class at Suffolk University, where the age ranges from recent college graduates in their early 20s to career changers in their 40s and 50s. Amico made Dean's List last year.

"It's interesting to balance work and school," Amico said. "It makes me feel like a grown-up."

With her final year of law school commencing, Amico is experiencing a mixture of relief and uneasiness.

"I have to pass the bar, take exams, and get a job, all at once. It's academically challenging. It takes a toll on you. It's a marathon, not a sprint," she said. "But I'm looking forward to going back to school. People think I'm crazy, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and my diff erent goals that I can see that are going to be accomplished."

Amico said that the toughest part of being in law school is that her time is not her own. There's an endless stream of work and she has a long commute from her parents' home in Westborough to her classes in Boston. However, there's a silver lining.

"It is wonderful to have your parents there, and having Dad cook, because the food is great," she said.

Overall, Amico has been happy in law school.

"I've learned a whole new skill set," she said. "You can use your skills to help people who wouldn't know how to exercise their rights or get what they need to get."

Amico is not sure what type of job she's looking for after graduation. She has enjoyed her classes in children's disability law, family law and corporations. She has an interest in children's rights but she could go either the corporate route or continue working in the nonprofit realm.

"The goal is to find a job I like," she said. "It's so competitive."