Fox Chapel Area High School alumni complete summer law internships in Sharpsburg

Two university students from the Fox Chapel area with goals of one day becoming attorneys gained real-time courtroom internship experience shadowing a judge this summer in Sharpsburg.

Anna Ferris, a freshman at Princeton University and Alyssa Carnevali, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, participated in the District Court Student Shadowing Program, sponsored by Sharpsburg Borough Magisterial District Judge Matthew V. Rudzki.

The internships were unpaid and lasted all summer.

Both students are graduates of Fox Chapel Area High School.

Rudzki’s courtroom along Main Street hears cases that include some felonies, small claims, truancy, traffic violations and delinquency cases.

Internship duties included shadowing Rudzki in district court three days a week, where they watched hundreds of landlord-tenant, civil, traffic and criminal matters.

“As well as a few weddings,” Rudzki said. “From my experiences as an undergraduate and law student, I wish there had been more opportunities to shadow a judge. The breadth and volume of the cases we see in district courts lay a great foundation for aspiring lawyers because they get courtroom experience that would take months to acquire in a trial court.”

Carnevali, 20, of O’Hara, said she became interested in law during the Trump presidency.

“Limitations of civil rights spurned me to become more active in politics and thus, by extension, increased my interest in law,” Carnevali said.

Carnevali is an active member of both Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Courtesy of Alyssa Carnevali

Alyssa Carnevali in her dorm room at the University of Pittsburgh.

Although the internship was not required in her course of study at Pitt, Carnevali said she chose to participate to increase her knowledge and experience before applying to law schools.

Carnevali is a majoring in English literature and art history.

After graduation, Carnevali hopes to attend Georgetown University Law Center.

“I hope to study civil rights law so I can assist those who are underrepresented and denied their due process and civil liberties,” Carnevali said.

Carnevali assisted Judge Rudzki and the courtroom secretaries with running paperwork and recording courtroom attendance.

“The most difficult part was understanding the legal codes. At the beginning of my internship, the various charge numbers the judge and police officers read were mystifying to me. As I progressed, it became clearer to understand the charges identified.”

Rudzki presented personalized gavels at the conclusion of the internships as a thank you.

“It was a joy to get to know them. Both are very intelligent, with a passion for the law and justice with undeniable leadership skills and bright futures,” Rudzki said. “Alyssa and Anna will succeed in any profession they enter, but the bar would be lucky to add them as attorneys.”

Anna Ferris, 18, of Fox Chapel discovered her passion for law during high school.

“I loved law in AP government and politics my senior year and all I wanted to do was learn more,” Ferris said.

Ferris contacted Judge Rudzki personally and inquired about the possibility of shadowing his courtroom over the summer.

“I loved watching lawyers discuss deals, form arguments and carry the story of a case all the way to a decision,” Ferris said.

Courtesy of Anna Ferris

Princeton University freshman Anna Ferris of Fox Chapel in her dorm room.

Ferris was surprised by the variety of cases Judge Rudzki heard.

“I saw everything from speeding tickets to guns, drugs and violence,” she said.

And sometimes the stories revealed in court were difficult to hear from young people appearing in court, Ferris said.

“It was always hard seeing young people who had been failed by so many of the systems that were meant to help them in life,” Ferris said.

After graduating from Princeton University, Ferris hopes to attend law school and possibly study abroad.