Rutgers alum has 1st court hearing after being arrested for enrolling in New Brunswick High School

On Tuesday, Hyejeong Shin, a 29-year-old woman who had recently enrolled in New Brunswick High School, pleaded not guilty to the charge of falsifying government documents, according to an article from NJ Advance Media.

Her court appearance comes after officials discovered that she used a falsified birth certificate to enroll in New Brunswick High School in January. During her four-day attendance at the school, she went to several classes and interacted with students.

Aubrey Johnson, superintendent of the New Brunswick Public School District, informed students to avoid interacting with the woman either online or in person, according to the article.

University officials said Shin graduated from Rutgers—New Brunswick in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a minor in Chinese.

Darren Gelber, Shin's lawyer, said she did not have malicious intent when enrolling in the high school and only did so to relive past high school experiences.

"This entire case is about my client's desire to return to a place of safety and welcoming in an environment that she looks back on with fondness — and nothing more," Gelber said.

Johnson said the district will reevaluate its enrollment procedure after this incident.