September 18, 2017

By Jeanne Leong

Some Rutgers Law School students had the opportunity to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Carolyn V. Chang RLAW’87, the new president of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey.

Rhasheda Douglas, director of the Rutgers Law School Minority Student Program in Camden, attended the event with students Nakea Barksdale, Kemar Brown, Faran Chaudhry, and Nikia Clark on Sept. 9, at the historic site of the Underground Railroad Museum at Smithville.

Chang, a family law attorney in Burlington County, is a former committeewoman and former mayor of Westampton Township. She has been a member of the ABWL for more than 25 years.

“I have been able to call on members of ABWL to celebrate with me in the good times and to cry on their shoulders in the bad times,” says Chang, of Westampton. “ABWL is extremely important to me and I am thrilled to lead this organization in the coming year.”

The students had an opportunity to meet Chang, who encouraged them to go into public service. “I felt it important to take time out to speak with each one of the students to encourage them to give back,” Chang says.

Students also met other prominent attorneys and jurists, including the Honorable Marie White Bell, the first African American woman appointed as a judge in Burlington County.

Chang’s Rutgers roots run deep. She received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University–New Brunswick in 1981. She established a scholarship for Rutgers undergraduate students who are of Caribbean descent who are interested in attending law school to help cover the costs of LSAT courses. In addition, Chang’s husband, Ron, and daughter, Chelsea, are Rutgers–New Brunswick alumni. Her daughter is currently a student at the Graduate School of Social Work in New Brunswick, and her son, Christian, is a junior at the School of Arts and Sciences in New Brunswick.

Students with the Honorable Marie White Bell
Students with New Jersey State Senator Ronald Rice

Rutgers Law Media Contact:
Shanida Carter

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