Solomon Scholars Program

The Solomon Scholars at Rutgers Law School in Camden are an elite cohort of academically talented, accomplished, and public service-oriented students who will become an outstanding group of alumni with the skills and training to positively impact their local communities, the country, and the world.

In 2020 an anonymous donor provided Rutgers Law School with a $3.5 million gift to assist in recruiting law students who have had distinguished academic careers, and who have demonstrated a commitment to public service, defined broadly. The gift launched the Solomon Scholars Program, named in honor of Dean Emeritus Rayman Solomon, who served as Dean of Rutgers Law School in Camden for 16 years.

Students selected as Solomon Scholars are eligible for financial aid at the Law School but also receive an annual $10,000 stipend that can be used for any purpose. The Scholars are also eligible for stipends to support summer work, mentors to help guide them through and after law school, and access to other special programming. This highly competitive program is only available to a limited number of carefully selected students each year.

Solomon Scholars Program Benefits 

  • Stipend—Our Solomon Scholars receive a $10,000 stipend per academic year. This stipend does not come with any spending restrictions. Solomon Scholars remain eligible for Rutgers Law scholarships awarded at the time of acceptance or other institutional aid awarded to continuing students.
  • Summer Funding—Scholars receive an additional $5,000 stipend for qualifying public service work in the summer following the second year of law school.
  • Mentoring—Scholars are assigned faculty mentors and may attend faculty colloquia. Additionally, Scholars are assigned to a Rutgers Law alumni mentor who is currently working in the Scholar's area of interest.
  • Career Counseling—Even as first-year students, Scholars work with a member of the Center for Career Development to develop a strategic plan regarding the pursuit of their career goals.
  • Professional Development Stipend—Each year, Solomon Scholars may request additional funding to attend legal conferences or other programming related to their areas of interest.

Solomon Scholars Consideration 

The selection process for Solomon Scholars begins after a student has been admitted to the Law School. In the spring of each year, the Solomon Scholars selection committee invites qualified admitted applicants to interview for a space in the Solomon Scholars Program. Only those applications who have applied and been admitted to Rutgers Law School by March will be considered for this program.

Invited admitted applicants may interview in person at Rutgers Law School in Camden or virtually. Interviewers will consist of members of the faculty, Admissions Committee, and current Solomon Scholars. Students who decide to interview in person will be eligible for a travel stipend.

Solomon Scholars
  • Kobie Allen RLAW '23
  • Malley Chertkov RLAW '24
  • Trang Do RLAW '24
  • Neeraja Aravindan RLAW '24
  • Roman Brooks RLAW '25
  • Jess Harper Meyers RLAW '26
  • Alexandra Pollack RLAW '26

Kobie is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in Political Science, focusing on comparative politics of the Middle East, and obtained a concentration in Leadership Studies: U.S.  Foreign Policy. During his undergraduate career, Kobie studied abroad for a year in Egypt, studying at the American University in Cairo taking Arabic language and graduate political science courses. He also spent three weeks in Morocco studying comparative corruption between America and the Middle East/North Africa region. After graduating from Williams College in 2017, he served as a paralegal at two boutique firms in South Jersey, handling civil fraud and breach of contract cases. During law school, Kobie interned with U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton, NJ. In Summer 2022, he interned with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in their New York City and San Francisco offices, getting involved in pro bono and intellectual property matters.

Malley Chertkov was raised in Millstone, New Jersey and was excited to return for law school. Malley graduated from Wellesley College in 2019 with a degree in Philosophy and went on to work as a paralegal at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Criminal Division, Fraud Section, helping prosecute individuals for serious financial crimes and major market fraud. While in college, they were a board member of Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration and worked as a tutor and volunteer coordinator for the Petey Greene program, tutoring and helping develop curriculum for incarcerated students in Massachusetts. They also worked as an Intern Investigator at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, helping to investigate felonies that their clients were accused of and gathering evidence to aid their defense.

During their time at Rutgers Law School, Malley interned at the ACLU of New Jersey where they analyzed novel policy in the state of New Jersey on reproductive rights and researched when the right to counsel is triggered, among other research projects. They also externed at the Department of Justice Special Litigation Section, where they assisted in an investigation of the violations of the rights of incarcerated people. They interned at the Philadelphia Defender Association where they represented clients in criminal preliminary hearings, domestic violence court, and bench warrant court. They also participated in Hunter Moot Court (Appellate Advocacy) and placed first in the oral argument competition. Malley is also a Senior Editor of the Rutgers University Law Review. In addition to being a Solomon Scholar, Malley is an Eagleton Fellow.

Upon graduating law school, Malley hopes to become a public defender, help shape criminal justice policy, and build institutions that allow for the holistic healing of both victims and perpetrators of harm, understanding that these categories are not mutually exclusive.

Trang is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Mayor’s Scholar and graduated magna cum laude majoring in Mass Communication with a minor in Spanish. Trang went on to earn a Master of Science in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Upon graduation, Trang received the Harrington Award, the highest achievement awarded to a Master’s degree student. Following her studies, Trang embarked on a 14-year career as a broadcast journalist, beginning at the NBC affiliate in Huntsville, AL, and ending in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA at CBS3 KYW-TV, where she was nominated for two Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards. As a law student, Trang spent her 1L summer as a Summer Associate at Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, a nationally recognized boutique environmental and energy law firm. She is Co-President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and is currently serving on the law school’s Dean Search Committee. Given her extensive background in journalism, Trang is particularly interested in Media and First Amendment Law to ensure freedom of the press.

Neeraja is a New Jersey native and 2019 graduate of the College of William & Mary, where she graduated cum laude majoring in biology with a minor in public health. While at William & Mary, Neeraja conducted microbiology research and studied comparative health care policy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Neeraja sought to improve minority representation in student leadership by serving as a President's Aide, director of the Orientation Program, and member of the Undergraduate Honor Council. Neeraja was a James Monroe Scholar and received the Ewell Award upon graduation for her contributions to campus leadership. Neeraja went on to work as a Research Editor at TED Conferences LLC, fact-checking TED talks, podcasts, and other digital media content and helping manage the fact-checking process. As a 1L, Neeraja was a part-time clerk with Calderone Bullock LLC, a full service patent firm in New Jersey. In Summer 2022, she was a 1L LCLD Scholar and Summer Associate at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in their Philadelphia office. As a 2L, Neeraja worked as an extern with U.S. District Court Judge Renee Marie Bumb in Camden, New Jersey. She is a pro bono volunteer with Zeff Law Firm's Social Justice Law Project, working in connection with local NAACP chapters to review claims of civil rights violations. Neeraja is passionate about public service and providing high quality legal representation for her future clients.

Raised in New Jersey, Roman Brooks graduated from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where he obtained a degree in political science and a minor in law, politics, and philosophy. During his time at TCNJ, he attended the Washington Center in Washington DC, interning as a political fundraiser coordinator. Following this, he completed an internship as a public affairs intern with The Munshine Group, working with non-profit organizations and donor research. Roman also currently works within the local community, at the Camden Salvation Army Kroc Community Center.

After graduating law school, Roman plans to work for the government or a non-profit organization in an effort to help his community. Additionally, he seeks to advance efforts to increase diversity within the legal profession.

A former bartender, current educator, and forever advocate, Jess Harper Meyers (she/her/they/them) was born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Jess attended the American University School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC, where she majored in Justice, Law, and Criminology. After earning their BA, Jess co-founded We Can Run PAC, a 527 political nonprofit that lowered barriers to entry for working-class progressive candidates.

A near-death experience gave Jess a lifelong disability, but also strengthened their lifelong calling for public service. Following her work for the 2020 Census (where she achieved the highest case completion rate in Montgomery County, PA), Jess moved to Chatham County, GA, to organize canvassing efforts for the Senate runoff elections. After helping Democrats win the Senate majority, Jess returned to Philadelphia, where she was LGBTQIA+ Program Director and Social Justice Organizer for the local Jewish nonprofit Tribe 12.

Jess currently works as a part-time 6th grade teacher, a DEI consultant, and a guest lecturer at Montgomery County Community College on the topic of reproductive rights under the law. Jess serves on the Board of Directors for Theatre Ariel, and is a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Civil Liberties Committee. She also recently founded Lavender Learning, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which aims to expand inclusivity and accessibility in education.

Her main legal interest is bringing an intersectional approach to the fields of family law, education law, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and disability rights. Jess hopes to use her legal education to help develop Lavender Learning, and intends to work as a public interest attorney after graduating from law school. Jess’s ultimate goal is to be an adjunct law professor and to run for Judge at the trial court level, in order to bring an understanding of intersectionality to the legal system, and to ensure that everyone who appears in her courtroom is treated fairly and justly.
 

Raised by a single mother who worked as a drug addiction specialist in Philadelphia, Alexandra was exposed to evident inequalities from a young age. In middle school, she recognized the importance and fulfillment gained from social justice advocacy as a member of the ACLU's National Advocacy Summer Institute. This program cemented her dream of becoming a lawyer. Since that summer, just under a decade ago, Alexandra has been preparing for a career as a public interest lawyer.

Alexandra recently graduated from Syracuse University, where she studied Political Science and Writing & Rhetoric. During her undergraduate career, she interned with the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01), and the Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment organization in Syracuse, NY. As a 1L, she hopes to continue to intern and volunteer at political advocacy organizations. In the future, Alexandra hopes to pursue a career in the federal government or a political nonprofit.