Meet Rutgers Law’s Remarkable Incoming Class

Rutgers Law School proudly welcomes an exceptional incoming class of nearly 500 students whose diverse backgrounds and professional achievements reflect the school’s commitment to student access and academic excellence. From legal advocacy and business to journalism and education, these accomplished individuals bring a wealth of experience and passion for justice. Discover the inspiring stories of some of Rutgers Law School’s newest students as they begin their legal education this fall on our Camden and Newark campuses.

Olivia Brintlinger-Conn from Yellow Springs, Ohio comes to Rutgers Law in Camden after serving as a legal advocate for SeniorLAW Center in Philadelphia. The center pursues justice for older people by using the power of the law, educating the community, and advocacy. She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr College.
What first sparked your interest in law? I have multiple lawyers in my family doing a wide range of things so I have always flirted with the idea of law school but I never really considered it until a couple years after I graduated college. I became more seriously interested in law after working at a refugee resettlement nonprofit in Philadelphia as a career counselor where I saw how my clients were facing road block after road block when it came to things as simple as enrolling their children in school. Most recently, I spent two years working at a nonprofit that provides free legal services to older adults in Pennsylvania. My colleagues there helped me realize how diverse the career opportunities are for someone with a law degree.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? Aside from the school's reputation, I chose Rutgers because of its welcoming atmosphere. I attended Admitted Students Day, and it felt like the students, professors and everyone else in the law school actually wanted me to come here. From the phone call I received from Dean [Nancy] Rubert letting me know I was admitted, to Dean [Rhasheda] Douglas encouraging me to apply to the Minority Student Program and beyond, I appreciated the time and effort everyone took getting to know me.
What are your career goals? My dream would be to work in antiquities trafficking law as I studied archaeology in college, but I am also interested in public interest law. That being said, I know that I may find some other area of law I am passionate about during my time at Rutgers Law so I am keeping an open mind.
What are you most looking forward to as a Rutgers Law student? I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from my peers and professors. After four years working, I feel more than ready to get back to learning in a school environment while developing professional skills.
Fun fact: Despite growing up in Ohio, I have been a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan.

Diana Carranza was born in Lima, Peru, but her first home in the US is Newark, New Jersey. Diana is a first generation college student and law student. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University. She previously worked at CBRE, a commercial real estate firm, as a Senior Energy and Sustainability Consultant for American Express.
What first sparked your interest in law? For me, it was seeing the overlap with law in my work experience in sustainable energy. As I was growing my industry knowledge by helping develop energy efficiency or renewable energy projects, I became more curious about the contractual agreements of project development and regulatory frameworks that can both drive or inhibit projects.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? I chose Rutgers Law for its strong regional reputation, commitment to providing accessible education, and supportive community. Within the first week of classes and the Minority Student Program (MSP) summer orientation, I have felt warmth and support from administrators and fellow students. Everyone is always looking to help and uplift each other, and you feel that right away.
What are your career goals? I hope to leverage my professional experience in sustainable energy in my legal career. One area I am particularly passionate about is energy equity. As an attorney, I want to ensure that the benefits of sustainable energy can be distributed equitably across all communities, from the developer side or the regulatory side.
What are you most looking forward to as a Rutgers Law student? I am looking forward to getting involved with the clinics at Rutgers Law. Hearing the clinic professors describe how their work addresses the needs of the local community in Newark resonates with me. Clinics will be a great opportunity to grow not only my legal skills but also my community advocacy skills, all while helping others.

Louis Gremillion Jr. of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (Erwinville) is the Rutgers University Associate Vice President for Advancement and Special Assistant to Rutgers President William Tate IV. He is transferring to Rutgers Law in Newark as a part-time student from Southern University Law Center. A first generation law student, AVP Gremillion holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from Louisiana State University, where he was previously Assistant Vice President for Government Relations.
What first sparked your interest in law? I’ve always been drawn to law and government, but working in the Louisiana State Capitol showed me how policy decisions could improve lives—and how often those efforts were constrained by legal frameworks. At the same time, growing up commuting from a rural community to Baton Rouge every day underscored how much opportunity can depend on where you start. Those experiences together led me to pursue a law degree as a tool to ensure opportunity is not determined by geography.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? I chose Rutgers Law because it gave me the rare opportunity to continue my legal education while stepping into a new professional role at the university. The part-time program’s flexibility made it possible to balance both, and its reputation for strong academics and practical training made the decision even clearer. Rutgers’ faculty and clinics—particularly in education, economic justice, and constitutional rights—are also areas where I hope to make a lasting impact in my career. For me, Rutgers Law was the right combination of fit, timing, and purpose.
What are your career goals? I want to use my legal training to strengthen the institutions people rely on, especially in education. My long-term goal is to bring together my experience in government and higher education with the skills I gain at Rutgers Law to shape policies and legal strategies that expand opportunity. I hope to build a career at the intersection of law, leadership, and education, where I can contribute to solutions that make a meaningful impact on people's lives.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in law school? I see my learning at Rutgers Law as a direct contributor to my professional role with the university. In just a short time in New Jersey, I’ve been struck by how warmly people have welcomed me and how deeply they care about Rutgers’ future and its impact on the state. I want to channel that same spirit into my own work—combining my legal studies with my professional responsibilities to strengthen the university and the communities it serves. My hope is to succeed in a way that my peers, faculty, professional colleagues, and fellow New Jerseyans can be proud of.

Amanda Ottaway hails from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The first-generation law student in Newark earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Davidson College. She is the author of “The Rebounders: A Division I Basketball Journey,” published by the University of Nebraska Press. Most recently, she was a senior employment reporter for Law360.
What first sparked your interest in law? Law will be a second career for me; I worked in journalism for about a dozen years before this, eight of which I spent as a staff reporter covering legal news. At first I covered big, splashy criminal trials like El Chapo’s, and I caught the bug. Then I spent five years covering employment discrimination, focusing particularly on women’s rights and gender equity. I fell in love with employment law, how we all bring our humanity to work every day. And it’s hard not to become radicalized when you’re writing about the many ways people face mistreatment at their jobs. When my own colleagues and I went on strike last year for better working conditions, I realized I couldn’t just be an observer anymore – I wanted to get the tools and the power to jump into the story and try to make change.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? I chose Rutgers for two big reasons: cost and community. I love that Rutgers says they want us to have the freedom to make career choices without being saddled by debt. As someone who’s planning on plaintiff-side employment and civil rights law, that was a really appealing prospect. And as a retired athlete, I love a team. I’m not looking for cutthroat classmates; I want us to learn from each other and help make each other better, like good lawyers do. After talking with alumni, I knew I’d get that sense of community at Rutgers, and I am so grateful for the extraordinary diversity, kindness and enthusiasm of our class here.
What are your career goals? I want to work at a plaintiff-side employment law firm, fighting for women’s rights and gender justice. I would also love to work for a civil rights advocacy organization or even for a women’s sports team. Maybe all of the above!
What are you most looking forward to as a Rutgers Law student? I’m ready to soak up everything I can from this wildly impressive faculty and from classmates with all kinds of life experiences, and I am excited to make some lifelong friends.
Isaiah Rivera is a Camden native and double Rutgers-Camden graduate. The first-generation college student majored in political science and was a part-time project manager for the 5th Legislative District before law school.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? Camden has always offered me what I needed, and now I am ready to start law school. Becoming a lawyer has been a big goal for me, and now it’s happening.
What are your career goals? I love music, and I am a musician, but I am not that guy who enjoys the public performing part of it. A lot of musicians can’t read the fine print in contracts, and that’s why I would like to practice entertainment law.
▶️ Watch this video highlighting Isaiah’s first day of law school

Matt Scott of Cranbury, New Jersey, is a first generation law student in Newark. He is also a Physician Assistant in Neurosurgery part-time at Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in American History at Fordham University and a Master of Science, Physician Assistant, from Cornell University. Matt has also been serving as an elected official for the last eight years. He was a former Mayor of Cranbury and is now a Township Committeeperson.
What first sparked your interest in law? I have always been interested in the law, politics, and history (how I ended up in medicine is a long story!) My interest in public policy led me to decide to run for public office and, in 2017, I was elected to serve on my local township committee and serve as mayor. I am still on the committee and, in fact, was reelected for my third term in 2023.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? I am a true Jersey Boy born and bred, so Rutgers just made sense; however, even if I weren't a native, I would have likely been drawn to RLS owing to its history of public interest law and of advocating for the poor and underserved.
What are your career goals? My career goals are to synthesize my healthcare and public policy experience with my law degree to advocate and work to help correct some of the flaws and injustices of our current healthcare system. Whether that means working in a healthcare firm advocating for patients and practitioners wronged by the inequities of the system, or maybe running for higher office, I am not sure of yet, but I am sure the next three years will help me figure that out!
Before starting law school, what’s one accomplishment you’re especially proud of? As an "older" student with a family and a long career in medicine, I have a lot of things I am proud of. On top of that list is being a father to three well-adapted and accomplished children and a husband to my amazing wife for nearly 25 years. Another thing I have to admit to is being very pleased with crushing my LSAT and getting into Rutgers Law!
Fun Fact: I have a lot of hobbies and interests, but top among them is being an animal lover; as a result, my wife and I have at the moment eight chickens and two Border Collies (Bump and Che). You can see their exploits on Tik Tok at username: BumpnChe

Patrick Thompson from Marlton, New Jersey is beginning his Rutgers Law Journey in Camden. The first-generation law student had a prior career in helping startups secure angel investors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Rutgers University–New Brunswick, School of Arts and Sciences.
What first sparked your interest in law? What first sparked my interest in law was that I genuinely enjoy helping people when I have the skillset to do it. After an eight-year career working with emerging technology companies and doing venture capital, this transformed into helping businesses and entrepreneurs solve the challenges they face. I have seen firsthand that helping them solve their legal challenges tends to have the biggest impact.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? I visited quite a few schools and was fortunate to get into a couple of them, but Rutgers had the best atmosphere. I think a big part of being happy and subsequently successful is who you are surrounded by, and all the right people seemed to be at Rutgers, ranging from the administration to my prospective classmates. After visiting Rutgers Law a few times, I knew that being in an environment like that would allow me to thrive and give me the highest chance of success when it comes to creating the future I envision for myself.
What are your career goals? My goal is to be a corporate attorney at a big law firm, working in a finance-related practice group, like M&A, capital markets, or structured finance.
Before starting law school, what’s one accomplishment you’re especially proud of? I’ve been lucky and I have accomplished quite a bit, but one thing in particular I’m proud of when I look back is that I was able to start a few businesses and one in particular was a minor success. As a solo founder, I bootstrapped that business to over six figures in under three years. The path that it took me on and the experiences it gave me are major catalysts for why law school is the next step in my life’s journey and the logical progression from the work I have done to date.
Fun Fact: I have all sorts of different coffee gadgets, and I’ve been roasting coffee for about five years now. I used to run a small business that sold coffee beans across the United States and Canada…but I don’t think I’ll have the time to keep running that business now that law school is starting up!

Dalian Williams previously worked as a KIPP teacher and has extensive experience as an education innovator and curriculum developer. The Plainfield, New Jersey, native has a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Communications from Howard University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. She is a first-generation college graduate and first-generation law student in Camden.
What first sparked your interest in law? My desire to pursue law began in adolescence and blossomed as I navigated the education sector post undergrad. Growing up, advocating for myself and my peers inspired me to pursue a legal career. Being a teacher inspired a passion for youth advocacy specifically.
Why did you choose Rutgers Law School? As a New Jersey native, Rutgers has been a notable landmark in my life for as long as I can remember. What I appreciated most about Rutgers Law School is that its diverse student body is reflective of the various communities and cultures uniquely represented in the tristate area.
What are your career goals? Though I don’t exactly know the direction I desire to take my legal career in, the two fields of interest to me are education law and entertainment law. Working in the education sector enriched a deep sense of advocacy for educational equity and children, particularly of marginalized backgrounds. On the other hand, I am a creative at heart, and the prospect of working in an environment with creativity and play at its core, sounds deeply fulfilling.
Before starting law school, what’s one accomplishment you’re especially proud of? Something I am especially proud of accomplishing prior to law school was being able to pour into my students beyond academics, using my passion for art. The two instances I am most proud of was gifting my graduating fifth graders with custom character portraits I drew; and creating custom hand-painted Air Force 1s for my eighth grade students.
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