Law & Justice Awards Archive

Senior of Distinction Award

2017 Recipient - Lexxus Matos / Lexxus Matos is our 2017 Senior of Distinction. We feel that Lexxus proudly represents the highest achieving students in our department, CHSS, and Rowan University. Throughout her time at Rowan, Lexxus has thrived academically and has taken advantage of many educational opportunities fully encompassing the idea of a liberal arts education including a minor in Psychology and a CUGS in Spanish, all while maintaining a spot on the Dean’s List. She was also recognized on the President’s Scholar of Excellence list. Lexxus truly embodies the CHSS motto, “leading the way to wisdom” as she is an incredibly active member of the Rowan community. She is the President of the Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society and a member of three other honor societies. She is also a leader in terms of her athletic achievements. Lexxus has been captain of the Women’s Track and Field team for the last two years and has been named both an All American and All Academic Athlete by the NCAA. She also volunteers in her local community offering her service at various churches, nonprofits, and shelters. ​

2016 Recipient - Ryan Boonstra / Ryan is a Law and Justice major with an honors concentration and a Philosophy minor. The Law and Justice Department is proud to honor him as he represents the best and brightest of our department. In addition to his impressive academic achievements, Ryan is deeply committed to the Rowan community and has proven to be an outstanding leader. He has been an active member of the Pre-Law society since his freshman year and has served as President since his sophomore year. He aided in establishing an LSAT prep course for students who may not have otherwise been able to afford this opportunity. Ryan also serves as the Vice President for Alpha Phi Sigma, the Law and Justice Honor Society, and has recently been inducted into the International Honor Society for Philosophers. Beyond his commitment to the Law and Justice Department, Ryan is a member of the CHSS Student Advisory Council on which he serves as a liaison between our students and the Dean. Ryan completed two impressive law internships, one with the Navy Yard where he worked on mutli-million dollar contracts. Ryan plans to attend law school after graduation and has already been award a full scholarship to Penn State Law. 

2015 Recipient - Elizabeth Castaneda / Elizabeth is an exceptional student who represents the best and brightest of the Law and Justice Department. The Law and Justice Department is incredibly proud of Elizabeth’s many impressive accomplishments throughout her time at Rowan University in addition to her outstanding academic achievement. Elizabeth is a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma, the Law and Justice Honor Society, as well as Tau Sigma National Honor Society which recognizes transfer students for their impressive academic accomplishments. Elizabeth’s dedication and commitment to the Rowan community is evident through her work as a campus security officer. In addition to her achievements at Rowan University as a full-time student and employee, Elizabeth is also a loving and dedicated mother to her 2 and half year old son and the first person in her family to earn a Bachelor’s degree. We wish Elizabeth the best of luck as she plans to pursue a career as a juvenile probation officer after graduation. ​

2014 Recipient - Alexandra Woyshner / Alexandra is an exceptional student who represents the best and brightest of our Law and Justice Department. Not only has Alexandra made Rowan University, specifically the Law and Justice Department, proud of her impressive academic success, but also through her leadership, involvement, and significant contributions to Rowan and the wider community. During her time at Rowan, Alexandra completed two internships in the areas of loss prevention and drug enforcement. Additionally she served as the Vice President of the Law and Justice Honor Society and senator of the Pre-Law Society, assisted in starting the Law and Justice Debate Team, co-founded Rowan Animal Advocacy, and served as a student leader for a spring break service trip to the Carolina Tiger Rescue. Alexandra’s admirable service reaches well beyond the Rowan community. She was awarded the Volunteer Excellence Award due to her extensive community service and volunteer work with animals throughout Burlington County. Alexandra’s character, service, and dedication embody all of the characteristics that we try to instill in our student body here at Rowan University. We wish Alexandra the best as she plans to attend law school after graduation.

Law and Justice student Kyle Hubert presented a paper entitled, “The boy who cried wolf: can threat assessment help us foil mass shootings” at the 2017 Meeting of the American Society of Criminology. Congratulations Kyle!

2017 Law and Justice Day

On April 10th, Law and Justice students, faculty, and several law enforcement agencies participated in Law and Justice day. Law and Justice days is an event designed to showcase crime fighting and safety methods in the field of criminal justice. 

2017 Law School Fair

The Department of Law and Justice Studies Law School Fair is an opportunity for students interested in pursuing Law Degrees to learn about their various law school options. Several Law Schools were in attendance in 2017.