Galloway, N.J. - Nine Stockton University students were named recipients of the Alan F. Arcuri Pre-Law Fund Awards for 2022.

The fund started in memory of Arcuri, a former Stockton professor known for his tireless efforts in advising pre-law students, provides a stipend to cover the cost of a prep program for the LSAT exam, and provides mentors for them as they apply to and attend law school.

Linda Wharton, professor of Political Science and coordinator of the awards, expressed how grateful she was for the mentors, many of them Stockton alumni, for their willingness to assist promising students who are pursuing a career in law. She is also impressed with this year’s students.

“It was an extraordinary pool of applicants this year,” Wharton said. “I am pleased we are able to help so many.”

Mentor Garrett Bolton, a former Arcuri recipient in 2020, said he would not have been able to afford to take an LSAT prep class without the scholarship and that it definitely helped improve his LSAT score. He is mentoring a student this year to show his gratitude and to help another student like him.

Recipient Lynn Tran said she is not sure where she wants to apply to law school or what area of law she will study, which is why having a mentor will also be very helpful.

“I could never afford an LSAT prep course,” she said. “And I’m very excited to meet with my mentor and talk to her.”

This year’s recipients are:

Shahyan Abraham of Orange, an Economics major with a concentration in pre-law.

Abraham serves as a Resident Assistant, Admissions Ambassador and an active participant and treasurer of Stockton’s Mock Trial team. She is also a three-event Track and Field athlete.

Her mentor is Arielle Budd, a 2021 Stockton graduate in Philosophy. Budd is currently a 1L student at Rutgers Law School.

Briana Davis of West Orange, a Political Science major, pre-law concentration.

Davis is on Stockton’s Mock Trial team and is also the secretary of the Minorities in Law club. Davis will graduate in 2023.

Her mentor is Ruby Gonzalez-Delarosa, a 2011 Stockton graduate in Political Science. Gonzalez- Delarosa graduated from Delaware Law School and is currently an associate at the law firm of Flynn & Associates.

Tiffany Giang of Atlantic City, a dual-degree Criminal Justice major.

Giang is a first-generation student who will graduate in 2023. She has a passion for dance and is co-founder of Dynesty Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on performing arts and community service.

Her mentor is Brittney Welch, a 2017 graduate in Communication Studies. Welch graduated from Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law in 2021 and is clerking for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 2d Circuit.

Jackeline Negron of Bridgeton, a Political Science major, pre-law concentration.

Negron is the president and founder of Minorities in Law and has a passion for seeing her fellow peers succeed in everything they do. She will graduate in Fall 2022.

Her mentor is Vanessa Calixto, a 2020 Arcuri recipient and 2021 Stockton graduate in Political Science. She is currently a 1L student at Rutgers Law.

Dorothea Toku of Mays Landing, a Political Science major, pre-law concentration, with a minor in Victimology and Victim Services.

Toku is the treasurer of both the African Student Organization and 21st-Century C Club. She is also involved in Stockton’s Mock Trial and works in the office of Student Development. She hopes to practice environmental or health care law.

Her mentor is Erica Briggs, a 2017 graduate in Political Science. Briggs graduated from Rutgers Law School in 2020 and, after clerking for the Assignment Judge in the Atlantic and Cape May counties, moved to Huntington, West Virginia, where she is an Assistant City Attorney.

Lynn Tran of Atlantic City, an Economics major with a concentration in pre-law and a minor in Political Science.

Tran, a senior, is very active on Stockton’s campus: she is an Economics tutor at the Math Tutoring Center, president of the Economics Society and a Bonner Leader.

Her mentor is Theresa Topping, a 2018 graduate in Economics. Topping is graduating from Drexel’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law in May. During her time there, she excelled in her competitions on Drexel’s Trial Team and co-published a problem in the NYU Law Moot Court casebook with a Drexel faculty member.

Marcos Rubert of Camden, a Political Science major, with a concentration in pre-law.

As a lawyer, Rubert hopes to help those who are voiceless. He will graduate in 2022.

His mentor is Garrett Bolton, a 2021 Stockton graduate in Political Science who is now a 1L student at Rutgers Law School.

Benjamin Yandell of Blackwood, a Political Science major with a concentration in pre-law and a minor in Economics.

Yandell is very involved in Stockton’s Student Senate. His goal is to become a constitutional lawyer to protect civil rights and civil liberties. He is a rising junior.

His mentor is Patton Solowey, a 2017 graduate in Business Studies. Solowey graduated Magna Cum Laude from the William & Mary Law School in 2021. He is currently completing a clerkship for the Maryland Special Court of Appeals.

Porsha Bryant of Sicklerville, a Political Science major with a concentration in pre-law and minoring in Cannabis Studies and Historical Studies.

Bryant will graduate in Fall 2023 after just two-and-a-half years. She hopes to become a criminal lawyer.

Her mentor is Kaitlin Hackett, a 2018 graduate in Political Science and Psychology. Hackett graduated from Rutgers Law School in 2021 and is clerking for a judge in Gloucester County. At Rutgers, Kaitlin received the Dean's Pro Bono Publico Award for Exceptional Service for completing over 100 hours of pro bono service during law school.

Story by Loukaia Taylor

Photo by Diane D’Amico