Victoria Bettencourt Turns a Transfer Decision Into a Path Toward Law School

BRISTOL, R.I. – The decision came late in the summer, just weeks before her sophomore year was set to begin. For Victoria Bettencourt, transferring to Roger Williams University was less a change of plans than a recalibration – one that would shape her confidence, clarify her direction, and set her on a path to law school.

After one year at Emmanuel College, Bettencourt was searching for a place that aligned more clearly with her aspirations in law. At RWU, she found not only the academic path she had been looking for, but a community that helped her grow into it.

“I needed to find a school that was best suited for my law school aspirations,” Bettencourt said. “Once I got here, everything started to feel more aligned – like I was on the path I was supposed to be on.”

Now a senior Legal Studies and Anthropology & Sociology double major with a Psychology minor, Bettencourt has built an academic experience shaped by RWU’s powerful combinations, bringing together disciplines in ways that deepen her understanding and expand her perspective.

What began, in part, as a practical alignment of transfer credits became something more intentional. Studying the legal system alongside the social structures and human behaviors that shape it allowed Bettencourt to see law not as an isolated field, but as one deeply connected to people and lived experience.

“Legal Studies and Sociology can’t really be understood without each other,” she said. “The legal system has historically shaped – and been shaped by – different groups and identities, so studying them together gives you a much fuller understanding of how it all works.”

That layered framework extended beyond the classroom and into Bettencourt’s broader RWU experience. She found ways to apply what she was learning while supporting others – serving as a Student Accessibility Services notetaker, mentoring student-athletes as an assistant women’s basketball coach at her former high school, and working as a Victim/Witness Advocate Intern with the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

In that role, Bettencourt worked directly with victims and witnesses, helping them navigate the legal process and witnessing firsthand how the system affects people on a deeply personal level.

“It was really impactful to see how the legal system affects people on such a personal level,” she said. “Being part of those conversations made it real in a way that you don’t always see in the classroom, and it definitely shaped how I think about my future in law.”

In the classroom, a mock trial course further clarified that future. Learning courtroom procedures and engaging in litigation exercises confirmed her interest in pursuing a legal career, particularly in civil litigation.

That path will continue at Roger Williams University School of Law, where Bettencourt has been accepted as a Juris Doctor candidate for the Class of 2029 and awarded a Jurisprudence Scholarship.

“I fell in love with Bristol and this campus pretty quickly,” she said. “Being able to stay somewhere I feel comfortable, while continuing to grow academically and professionally, made it an easy decision for me.”

Her senior year has brought that journey into sharper focus. Bettencourt completed a thesis examining how LGBTQ+ youth imagine their future possibilities, research she then presented at the Northeastern Anthropological Association’s 2026 annual meeting – another example of how her academic interests connect to broader social questions.

Alongside her academic and professional experiences, Bettencourt spent two years as a member of the Track & Field team, specializing in the long jump, where she set a school record and earned All-Academic Honors – balancing the demands of competition with a rigorous academic schedule.

“Being able to excel in both aspects of my college identity was really meaningful,” she said. “It showed me that hard work really does pay off, and that I’m capable of more than I had thought.”

Athletics, she said, gave structure to her academic life, reinforcing time management, accountability, and resilience – skills that carried into her coursework and beyond.

“Without being on the track team, my time here would have been far less meaningful,” she said. “It gave me a sense of purpose and belonging that really shaped my entire experience.”

Looking back, she sees her time at RWU not just as a series of accomplishments, but as a period of transformation defined by persistence and growth.

“I’m most proud of my resilience,” she said. “Transferring was a difficult decision, but it taught me that sometimes you have to make those choices to put yourself on the right path.”

That resilience, built through both challenge and opportunity, is what she will carry forward into law school.

“When I think about who I was when I first got here and who I am now, the biggest change is confidence,” she said. “I’ve learned what I’m capable of, and that’s something I’ll carry with me into everything that comes next.”