Long before she enrolled in law school at Rutgers Law School in Camden, Yamilex Ortiz understood the impact a lawyer can have on a person's life. Raised by a single mother in North Philadelphia, Ortiz saw her family benefit from legal assistance during a pivotal moment in their lives. This experience reshaped her view of the law and inspired a passion for social justice.
“For much of my childhood, the law was something people in my community associated with problems rather than solutions,” Ortiz said. “However, the assistance and compassion my family received from Community Legal Services made me realize that the law can be a powerful tool for the public good. That experience gave me a completely different perspective and guided my passion for social justice.”
Her family’s positive encounter with Community Legal Services ultimately set Ortiz on a path toward a career in law. Years later, after earning a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, she returned to the organization that had helped her family, this time as a paralegal serving other Philadelphians in need of legal assistance.
“I was very motivated to give back to my community after graduating from Temple, so when I saw that Community Legal Services was hiring, it felt like the perfect opportunity,” said Ortiz. “Having been on the receiving end of legal services, I felt I had a deeper understanding of the client experience, and I approached each case with the same empathy and patience my family needed and received at the time.”
While Ortiz found the work deeply rewarding, she began thinking about how she could make an even greater impact. The more she worked alongside attorneys and clients, the more certain she became that law school was the next step in her journey, but as a first-generation college student and Latina, she sometimes struggled to envision herself in a profession where she rarely saw people who shared her background.
“I wasn’t very confident because I did not see people practicing law who looked like me or shared my background,” Ortiz said. “I realized, however, that while I may not have a role model, I can pave the way for myself and become that person for others like me.”
Those concerns made choosing the right law school especially important. Ortiz wanted a place where she would be seen as more than an application or a set of credentials—a place where she could thrive academically while finding a supportive community that valued her experiences and aspirations.
“I decided to attend Rutgers Law School–Camden because I am confident in the quality of education I will receive, but also because I immediately felt how warm and supportive the community was when I stepped onto campus,” Ortiz said. “I visited many schools, but Rutgers was by far the most welcoming and made me feel like I was more than a statistic.”
Rutgers’ commitment to fostering a diverse legal community also resonated with Ortiz, particularly through opportunities such as the Minority Student Program. As she begins her legal education, she is especially eager to gain practical experience through the law school’s clinics and pro bono service projects, where she can put her commitment to serving others into practice.
“My goal is to use my law degree to advocate for change,” Ortiz said. “I believe we should live in a world where basic human rights and principles are the standard, not concepts to be debated.”
