New York Law School (NYLS) thrives on the diversity of interests that our students bring to the community. In this month’s edition of Humans of NYLS, we showcase five students nominated by their peers, each with a distinct passion that influences their academic and extracurricular pursuits in meaningful ways.
Kristen Grennan ’26 Evening
Kristen Grennan ’26 Evening is a 2L evening student who works full time at the New York City Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit as Director of Strategic Communications. In this role, she translates government policies into digestible language for the public so that all New Yorkers can fully realize their rights and the benefits they deserve. Grennan hopes to use her law degree to further advocate for systemic change across multiple levels of government.
After law school, she plans to spend a few years clerking for a judge and working in the private sector before pivoting back to public service. There, she hopes to work within the intersection of law, advocacy, and communications.
Nicole Heller ’24
Nicole Heller ’24 is a 3L day student who was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. At the age of 18, she had no choice but to leave her country behind as it became unsafe for her. She moved to the United Kingdom, where she pursued her undergraduate degree. Ecuador’s escalating crime rates made it unsafe for her to return home, so, five years ago, she relocated to the United States as an international student to pursue a master’s degree and later, a law degree.
Before law school, Heller joined the nonprofit Safe Passage Project to help immigrants stay in the United States. Throughout her time at NYLS, she continued to support Safe Passage Project, and she remains committed to advocating for immigrants’ rights in the United States.
Chloe Levine ’26
Chloe Levine ’26 is a 1L day student. She grew up in Long Island, New York, and graduated from Penn State in May 2022 where she majored in marketing. Prior to starting at the Law School, Levine took a gap year to work as a paralegal at Slater Slater Schulman, LLP, a full-service law firm that represents survivors of catastrophic and traumatic events. She is interested in practicing financial law and, after law school, she aspires to become a partner in a law firm that specializes in the practice area.
Benjamin Newman ’24 Evening
Benjamin Newman ’24 Evening is a 4L evening student. As an undergraduate at Colgate University, Newman majored in English with an emphasis in creative writing and minored in economics. He started his post-college career in Los Angeles as a production assistant for the show Divorce Court, then moved to a talent agency, assisting talent agents in representing actors and writers.
While completing his legal education at NYLS, Newman worked as a paralegal in residential real estate. After graduating this May, his goal is to continue learning as he begins his legal career.
Kenny Santos ’27 Evening
Kenny Santos ’27 Evening is a 1L evening student. He is a native New Yorker with proud Latin and Caribbean roots. Outside of law school, he is a senior paralegal at a personal injury and litigation firm and a part-time private investigator. Prior to NYLS, Santos was a business student at Pace University and a psychology student at NYU, where he had life-changing experiences while studying abroad and volunteering in Shanghai, China.
Santos spends his free time as an amateur anthropologist, learning from and about the many cultures and subcultures of the city. His time amongst fellow investigators, hackers, techies, and philosophers has led him to pursue the niche and emerging field of cybersecurity law.
Want to meet more of our “Humans of NYLS”? Check out previous features!