2025-26 Fred D. Gray Scholars meet famed civil rights attorney, former U.S. Attorney General

2025-26 Fred D. Gray Scholars meet famed civil rights attorney, former U.S. Attorney General

Kim Chaudoin | 04/20/2026

Each year the College of Leadership & Public Service selects four law, justice and society majors as Fred D. Gray Scholars.

Hareth Al Abdallah, Jackson Francis, Rainey Hoffman and Alexander Mazareanu have had a unique experience as the 2025-26 Fred D. Gray Scholars. For this year's scholars, the honor came with especially meaningful opportunities. In the fall, the students traveled to Tuskegee, Alabama, where they met Gray at the Tuskegee History Center, which he founded. There, they spent time hearing his stories and touring the center with him. In March, they had the opportunity to meet former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft at the annual Fred Gray Lecture on Lipscomb's campus.

Al Abdallah, a junior from Nashville double majoring in law, justice and society and philosophy with a minor in ethics, said being named a Fred Gray Scholar has deepened his sense of purpose.

"Being named a Fred Gray Scholar serves as a reminder that the law is not only a profession but a responsibility as well," said Al Abdallah. "His legacy deeply resonates with me."

Al Abdallah said Gray's life and work connect personally to his own story. Growing up, he often translated for his refugee parents as they tried to navigate a legal system in a language they did not speak.

"That taught me something also present in Mr. Gray's experience ... that meaningful work is not about helping someone once you know everything, but rather walking alongside them through a system you're both still learning," he said. "I want to build a career that meets people where they are and uses the law as a tool for those who feel excluded or unheard."

Meeting Gray in person made a lasting impression on him.

"He was not just some textbook figure, but he was a person who actually stood inside injustice and fought against it," Al Abdallah said. "The most lasting change is built through a community, not decided in a courtroom."

Al Abdallah said he chose Lipscomb because it allowed him to stay close to home while pursuing strong opportunities. Since arriving on campus, he said, his experience has "grown exponentially" through relationships with professors and peers and through leadership opportunities such as founding Lipscomb's Philosophical Society, which he said has created a place where students can "meet and wrestle hard questions together." After graduating in December 2026, he plans to apply to law school and spend a gap semester working, reading and preparing for what comes next.

Francis, a senior from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, said being selected again as a Fred Gray Scholar is both an honor and a motivator. This is his second year receiving the scholarship.

"Being named a Dr. Fred D. Gray Scholar is a great blessing," said Francis, who is minoring in history. "This honor invigorates me with pride and invokes a large amount of dedication in me to my studies."

Francis said meeting Gray this year was a humbling experience that made history feel immediate and personal.

"It helped me realize that all of the horrific stories about people that I see in my history books were not too long ago," he said.

He said Lipscomb stood out in his college search because of its faith-centered mission and its proximity to home.

"I selected Lipscomb because it is a school that has a big love for God and is close to home," Francis said. "Being near my family was very important to me."

Francis said his time at Lipscomb has been marked by strong relationships and encouragement.

"My Lipscomb experience has been great," he said. "I've met many lifelong friends here and have made many great relationships with professors and other faculty that will serve me well in my time after undergrad."

After graduation, Francis hopes to go directly to law school and then practice law "for as long I can by God's grace and mercy." He added that he is "extremely grateful to Lipscomb for a multitude of reasons," saying every professor and class he has had has been meaningful.

Hoffman, a senior from Nashville, is also a second-year Fred Gray Scholar. She said the recognition reflects both a calling and a responsibility.

"Being a Fred Gray Scholar means being a constant advocate for justice," Hoffman said. "It means fighting for the cause of honor and equality, and living life in a way that shows the love and strength of Christ."

Hoffman said every encounter she has had with Gray has been memorable.

"Every time I see him I am blown away by his ability to clearly communicate his passion and fervor for justice," she said. "He is so extremely intelligent and inspiring for so many reasons, but especially because he continues to practice the law today."

She said Lipscomb's Christ-centered foundation made it the right place for her undergraduate studies.

"I valued how Lipscomb prioritizes Jesus Christ and him glorified," Hoffman said. "I knew that I would get an education that encompassed every opinion and perception while keeping Christ preeminent."

Hoffman said the community she has found at Lipscomb has shaped her experience in powerful ways.

"Finding Christ-centered community has been the most vital part of making my experience valuable," she said. "Lipscomb fosters these communities so beautifully."

After graduation, Hoffman plans to take her passion for Christ, justice and advocacy into nonprofit or government work before eventually heading to law school to continue her education.

Mazareanu, a senior from Hendersonville, Tennessee, is majoring in law, justice and society with a minor in business. He said being named a Fred Gray Scholar affirmed a path he already felt called to pursue.

"Being selected as a Fred Gray Scholar is, in a way, my final green light to go into law," Mazareanu said. "It creates a calling for me to enter the field."

He said the honor also challenges him to pursue law with integrity.

"It gives me motivation to carry on Dr. Gray's legacy of standing for what is right no matter what practice I end up in, because good, honest attorneys are needed in every practice of law," he said.

Meeting Gray in person made the civil rights movement feel closer than ever.

"Hearing it directly from him made everything feel much more real, and much more recent," Mazareanu said. "It made the Civil Rights movement less of a historical event, and much more of a recent, real phenomenon."

Mazareanu said he chose Lipscomb because it offered the rare opportunity to focus on law even as an undergraduate student.

"LJS gave me the opportunity to focus on law even in undergrad, which a lot of colleges don't offer," he said.

He described his Lipscomb experience as "very busy, but rewarding," explaining that he has packed his semesters with classes in order to graduate a year early while also balancing an internship-turned-job. He said those experiences have helped prepare him well for the demands of law school. As he nears graduation, he is waiting to hear back from law schools and hopes to continue directly into legal studies, though he is still discerning what area of law he wants to practice.

The Fred D. Gray Scholarship was founded to support students who have the passion, creativity, empathy and determination to become the next generation of civic leaders. Established in 2017, the scholarship honors and helps Lipscomb students pursue their education in the world of law and is awarded to students who are working to become the next generation of Fred Grays. Gray began his legal career at age 24 as a sole practitioner fresh out of law school. He represented Rosa Parks and aided in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, represented the Freedom Riders, filed the lawsuits that desegregated Alabama schools and was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s first civil rights lawyer.

Learn more about the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society.