Name: Lauren Bateman '20 
Hometown: Strathmere, NJ 
Undergrad: Temple University
Interest: Employment law

Lauren Bateman spent four years living and working in Santiago, Chile before enrolling in law school. Her decision to concentrate her studies on employment law stems largely from her personal experiences there, where very few women were in visible leadership positions. Lauren looks forward to helping low-wage workers this summer in her position as a Peggy Browning Fellow with Friends of Farmworkers.

Name: Kemar Brown '20 
Hometown: Hyattsville, MD
Undergrad: University of Maryland
Interest: Access for disenfranchised communities

Kemar Brown is a black Jamaican American son of immigrants and he escaped poverty to become the first member of his family to attend college. As a Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers Law School, he has dedicated his scholastic and professional career to programs that impact diversity, inclusivity, and socio-economic equity. "Students in the social justice program work diligently and tirelessly for the betterment of causes they deem important," said Kamar of his fellow SJS students.

Name: Nkora Carr '23
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Undergrad: Pennsylvania State University
Interests: Juvenile Criminal Defense

As a sociology major, Nkora researched the school to prison pipeline and (so-called) deviant behavior. She learned that black children are being pushed in to the prison system at alarmingly young ages, for behaviors that white children would get detention for or speak to a counselor. Exposing children to the prison system makes it harder for them to properly socialize. Most children who behave badly have an undiagnosed mental illness or issues at home, such as neglect or abuse. These are children who need our help, they do not need to be displaced and outcasted. This is why Nkora is also interested in Child Advocacy and wants to pursue a Masters in Social Work. 

Name: Abigail Cook '20 
Hometown: Dunbarton, NH
Undergrad: Quinnipiac University
Interest: Domestic and Sexual Violence, Reproductive Justice, Gender Discrimination

During her undergraduate years, Abigail worked with victims of gender based violence and decided to attend law school to become the best advocate that she can. She is incredibly happy with my decision and every day she is driven by compassion and a genuine belief that passionate people can make change. "Public interest is a dedication to the service of others," said Abigail. "I personally believe it is the ultimate recognition of humanity. There is nothing more powerful and courageous than compassion, and for those of us who are brave enough to follow our compassion into a public interest field, public interest is the means by which we make our visions of change reality."

Name: Jo-Anna Daly '20 
Hometown: Northfield, NJ 
Undergrad: Saint Joseph's University
Interest: Criminal law

Before coming to law school, Jo-Anna worked with victims of homelessness at Project HOME. She continues to serve marginalized communities through the various Pro Bono opportunities offered at Rutgers, including VITA and the Voter’s Rights Project. Jo-Anna looks forward to helping exonerate the wrongfully convicted this summer as an Intern at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.

Name: Derek Demeri '20 
Hometown: Hawthorne, NJ 
Undergrad: Rutgers University
Interest: Human Rights, Sex Worker Rights, Queer Rights, Economic Justice & Communities Impacted by HIV

Before coming to law school, Derek co-founded the New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance and was actively involved in local, national and international efforts for sex worker rights. He was also a boycott organizer with UNITE HERE during the 2016 Taj Mahal strike in Atlantic City, New Jersey. As a Social Justice Scholar, he looks forward to earning his law degree to continue working for the rights of marginalized communities.

Name: April Gambardella '19 
Hometown: Glen Ridge, NJ 
Undergrad: Rowan University 
Interest: Family law

April Gambardella is a current Fellow for the Marshall Brennan Constitutional Literacy Program at Camden High School, a volunteer for the Rutgers Law School Domestic Violence Project, and a mediator for the Rutgers Law School Mediation Program. In the past, she has partaken in the Rutgers Expungement Screening, served as a volunteer for the Voters Rights Project, and went on Alternative Spring Break where she worked for the Georgia Innocence Project. Her 1L summer, she interned for Philadelphia VIP where she helped low-income Philadelphians receive free legal representation. She will be serving as a Director for the Rutgers Law School Domestic Violence Project her 3L year. 

Name: Mychal Giansanti '20 
Hometown: Lumberton, NJ 
Undergrad: TCNJ
Interest: Criminal justice reform

Mychal A. Giansanti is from Lumberton, NJ and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from The College of New Jersey. He is interested in criminal justice reform and remedying systemic inequality in our justice system. "Rutgers has provided a network of talented professionals from many areas of social justice work," said Mychal. "SJS is a valuable resource of like-minded students encouraging and motivating one another to achieve personal and professional goals." 

Name: Sara Gray '19 
Hometown: Merchantville, NJ
Undergrad: La Salle University

Sara Gray is a non-traditional student that decided to go to Law School after working as a clerk for an Elder Law attorney. For her 1L summer, she interned at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. In addition to her studies, she served as the President of the Association of Public Interest Law and was part of a collaborative ad hoc Innocence Committee including Rutgers Law, Forensic Science. “The Social Justice Program has allowed me to supplement my legal education with seminars and lectures that explore the current issues in Public Interest law," said Sara. "Further, the program offers substantive opportunities and guidance that help us reach our academic and career goals.”

Name: Lauren M. Harris '22 
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Undergrad: The Ohio State University
Graduate: American University’s Graduate School of Public Affairs

Throughout her career in business management and finance, Lauren recognized the full circle of injustice impacting her community and after a six-year stint, she decided to join the fight for equity. As an educator through Teach for America, she taught incredibly brilliant and hilarious fifth graders in a Title 1 charter school on the west side of Dayton, Ohio. Lauren has worked closely with parents to advocate for just school-based policies, coached junior high girls’ volleyball, and researched issues impacting early learners at the Ohio Department of Education. She continued to work on program development for educators and policy issues impacting kids through Dayton based Preschool Promise and leadership development organization Leadership for Educational Equity. Lauren continued to develop her public policy acumen as a Legislative Fellow on Capitol Hill, managing the education, health, and financial services policy agenda for a Congressman from her home state. The Columbus, Ohio native is a proud graduate from The Ohio State University and American University’s Graduate School of Public Affairs. As a Rutgers Law student and Social Justice Scholar, Lauren hopes to leverage her unique personal and professional experiences to enrich her legal education and inform the work she plans to do afterwards.

Name: Morgan Humphrey '21
Hometown: Trenton, NJ 
Undergrad: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Interest: Drug policy reform, criminal justice reform, prisoner’s rights, police accountability

Prior to attending Rutgers School of Law, Morgan Humphrey was a Policy Coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization focused on ending the war on drugs through policy change. While at DPA, Morgan worked on the successful 2016 Proposition 64: Adult Use of Marijuana legalization campaign. Before moving to California, Morgan worked as a paralegal at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and a clerk at the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. Morgan is passionate about criminal justice reform, prisoner’s rights and police accountability.

Name: Kristen Kispert '19
Hometown: Sicklersville, NJ
Undergrad: The University of Scranton
Interest: Assisting prisoners and/or homeless veterans

Prior to entering law school, Kristen attended a Jesuit University which emphasized the Jesuit value of being "men and women for others." Through her time in undergrad and as she continues into law school a focus of hers has been to live out this value. While at Rutgers, she has worked with various pro bono projects with different groups of people, from preparing tax returns for low-income individuals and registering prisoners to vote; to gathering research of prison housing policies for transgender individuals.

Name: Arlette Leyba '22 
Hometown: Camden, NJ 
Undergrad: Rutgers University–New Brunswick 
Interests: Civil rights, Immigration, Domestic violence

Growing up in Camden, as the daughter of immigrants, and being a first-generation college student has sparked her interest in social justice reform. Prior to law school Arlette Leyba was involved with a youth development program in Camden called Camden Adolescents Striving for Achievement (C.A.S.A.). For the past two years, she has been working at the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice, a nonprofit law firm, helping the immigrant community as well as helping victims of domestic violence.  "The reason I am so passionate about becoming an advocate for others is that I have seen the need from members in my family and community. I am eager to learn from my peers and others within the Social Justice Program, ways in which I can help and hopefully make a difference."

Name: Constance Hope Long '22 
Hometown: Waynesboro, PA
Undergrad: Temple University
Interests: Immigration law and domestic violence

Hope’s number one interest is in Immigration Law, specifically in deportation defense and impact litigation. Before applying for law school Hope worked as litigation paralegal in an Immigration Law firm for over two years, where her primary focus was in Asylum and Cancellation of Removal cases, Special Immigrant Juvenile Cases, and family petitions. While working on those cases she was able to experience the difference that quality legal representation makes in this field, which in many cases is a matter of life and death. To give people the service they need requires a compassion and deep commitment to seeing them through a situation that might be the most terrifying and stressful moment in their lives. she believe there is no better way to get the full value of what the legal profession has to offer than to fight for those who need it most.

Name: Emma Martin '23
Hometown: Port Jefferson, NY
Undergrad: Adelphi University
Interests: LGBTQ+ and Gender Discrimination Law

Prior to law school, Emma worked as an intern in a few different capacities, specifically surrounding food justice. She worked on a campaign advocating for farmworker’s rights on the Eastern End of Long Island, helping to create a farmer’s market campaign to spread information about the injustices farmworkers bear. Emma has also worked for a food bank, helping clients apply for SNAP and during the summer months, managing sites that distribute free food for children via a NYS federal grant. These internships allowed her to see different versions of advocacy and solidify her passion for social justice work. Emma wrote her undergrad Honors College thesis about the factors that impact LGBTQ+ college students in self-disclosing their identities on campus, where her passion for LGBTQ+ advocacy was foregrounded. She hopes to focus on LGBTQ+ and gender discrimination law, combining her social work skills with law skills to bring about positive change. 

Name: Natima Neily '21
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Undergrad: Arizona State University
Interest: International Rights and Immigration Law

Natima Neily grew up in California, born in the latter half of the decade that introduced the Americans with Disabilities Act by two parents with disabilities – one, a first generation immigrant from Canada; the other a recent immigrant from México. Natima grew up witnessing diverse communities come together and advocate for themselves to make change happen. This influenced her to pursue a higher education, and now a career in the legal field, first as a legal assistant with the only free legal service provider in the state of Arizona, and now as a law student. Natima has always been passionate about addressing institutional inequalities and empowering others, and hopes that her career as an attorney will provide her with opportunities to do both.

Name: Mũmbi Wanjikũ Ngũgĩ' '22 
Hometown: Irvine, CA 
Undergrad: Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
Interests:  Progressive prosecution, public interest law, critical race theory, feminism, philosophy.

Mũmbi Wanjikũ Ngũgĩ is a Kenyan-American born in North Jersey. Ngũgĩ grew up in Southern California and went to university at the Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University where she studied Law and Society, Spanish and Women's Studies. Ngũgĩ's liberal arts studies taught her to look at the issues of the world from a critical feminist lens. As a social justice scholar, Ngũgĩ looks forward to engaging public interest law through pro-bono service, explore the privilege of being able to study law in Camden, and focus on issues of juvenile justice from a critical race perspective.

Name: Dan Oates '19
Hometown: Port Washington, NY
Undergrad: James Madison University
Interest: Homelessness policy

Dan has pursued opportunities throughout the United States that inform his understanding of homelessness. Law school complements and extends his prior practice. "To me, public interest means serving the needs of society’s forgotten, impoverished, or disenfranchised," said Dan. "Rutgers prepares me for a career in public service by expanding how I navigate unfamiliar issues. In my prior practice, I felt my way through complex problems, whereas now, I balance my head and my heart. This obvious, seemingly small shift forces me to empathize with my counter-parties. As a result, I can now craft more compelling, sustainable arguments."

Name: Kayvon Paul ‘23
Hometown: Long Branch, NJ
Undergrad: Monmouth University
Interests: Advocacy for those affected by domestic violence, mental health issues, and poverty.

Prior to Rutgers Law,  Kayvon worked on local, state, and federal political campaigns including a campaign that led to the election of New Jersey’s first Indian-American State Senator. After these campaigns, Kayvon worked at Garden State Equality, which is New Jersey’s largest LGBT interest group that represents over 150,000 members. Currently, Kayvon works at MBI, one of New Jersey’s largest public affairs and government relations firms based in the State’s capitol. While at Monmouth University, Kayvon served as co-chair and founding member for both the Asbury Park Young Democrats and Monmouth University Democrats.

Name: Jenise Rivera '21
Hometown: Camden, NJ 
Undergrad: Rutgers–Camden
Interest: Employment law

Jenise Rivera is a recent graduate of Rutgers–Camden, where she studied psychology and urban studies and interned at the Fifth Legislative District of New Jersey. During this time, she was able to work hands-on in the community to address their needs. Being from Camden, it seemed natural to her to become interested in public interest work. "Growing up in the city exposes you to many different challenges that people, communities, and the city as a whole face, and it is extremely hard not feel passionate about wanting to be a part of a positive change," she said. "Social Justice means more to me than what I can do individually, it means doing right by my loved ones, friends, and the community that raised me. Although I am unsure what field I want to go into, I can be sure that I will work my hardest to create that positive change."

Name: Gladys Rosario '23
Hometown: Brownsville, TX
Undergrad: University of California, Berkeley
Interest: Civil Rights Law, Criminal Law, and Employment Law

Gladys Rosario was born in a Texas border town and moved to San Diego, California when she was 13-years-old. She grew up in a working class Mexican and Puerto Rican household and was a first-generation college student when she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2016. She majored in Political Economy and concentrated her studies in socioeconomic inequality in the United States. She is now the first in her family to attend law school.

Prior to law school, she worked as a legal assistant and paralegal for 4 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her most valued working experience was in the racial justice department at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. She assisted attorneys with client interviews, case filings, advocacy report research, and program administration. While working at the Lawyers' Committee, she completed the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley’s Engaged Latina Leadership Activist (ELLA) program in 2019. She is interested in using her law degree to assist low-income individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by the justice system.

Name: Catherine "Casey" Schu '22 
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA 
Undergrad: La Salle University
Interests:  Immigration Law, Suicide Prevention, LGBTQ+ and Gender Discrimination

Casey studied Spanish and International Relations in college, which educated her on the myriad issues experienced by people worldwide. This led to an interest in immigration and understanding the importance of people's freedom of movement. As a senior in college, she interned at HIAS PA, an immigration nonprofit. She then worked there for a year postgrad as a social worker/legal assistant working with asylees and Cuban parolees. She continued her work as a social worker at other agencies, working with parents to cultivate healthy parenting skills and navigating foster families through the adoption process. Casey hopes to pair her social work skills with a legal education to cultivate personal connections with her clients as they work through their legal issues together.

Name: Mario Valdivia '21
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA 
Undergrad: University of California, Santa Cruz
Interest: Labor and Employment Law

Before coming to law school, Mario interned at California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income individuals and communities in matters involving labor law violations. As an intern for CRLA, Mario realized that law and access to legal resources, like lawyers, was limited to people who have socioeconomic capital, leaving other marginalized populations at a severe disadvantage. These experiences, paired with his upbringing, solidified his desire to become a powerful advocate on behalf of the needy and underserved communities. As a Social Justice Scholar, he intends to address social inequalities, empower disenfranchised communities, and assist indigent individuals when they encounter legal obstacles.

Name: Viktoria Zerda '22
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Undergrad: University of Texas at San Antonio
Interest: Immigration

Viktoria Zerda is a Chicana from San Antonio, Texas. After moving to Philadelphia Viktoria worked at an environmental advocacy group before starting law school. Before moving, she received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She also worked on the border since 2014 with Central American unaccompanied minors and organized around issues of migrant justice and the corruption of border agencies. She came into law school to concentrate on immigration law with a passion for asylum rights. She is interested in continuing her organizing work and becoming a movement lawyer.