Rutgers Law–Camden Student Made the Tough Cut into U.S. Army JAG Corps

Admitting just 52 applicants this year, the JAG Corps is known to be highly selective.  Or as one-star Brigadier General Flora Darpino, an ‘86 Rutgers–Camden law alumna put it to Nees during a recent visit to campus, “that’s a tough cut.” But being tough is what Nees is all about.

After studying criminology at the University of Tampa on a four-year scholarship, Nees began serving as a United States Signal Corps Officer stationed in El Paso, Texas. At 21 years old, she was in charge of 40 soldiers, including some who had been serving for decades, but it was a leadership role she believed in whole-heartedly and ultimately, it helped shape her professional career.

“Signal Corps is involved in everything. Without us, the Army can’t talk,” says Nees. “I felt honored to be training America’s sons and daughters, many of whom would become deployed.”

While she received orders to deploy to Iraq in Global Freedom, a “glitch in the system” kept the Rutgers Law–Camden student stateside. All the while, though, she considered switching gears to pursue a law degree.

A serious injury to her Achilles tendon, which required intensive surgery and a full year to recover, delayed her goal, but in fall 2010, she enrolled at Barry University's Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, near Orlando, Fla. There, she served in the Florida National Guard and was involved in several hurricane recovery efforts. She also worked for the Department of Homeland Security in the Coast Guard.

Returning to the Garden State, however, was where she envisioned herself earning her J.D.

“This is where I’m from. I always wore Rutgers stuff when I was down south and I had read in Forbes Magazine about the law school being the best bang for your buck,” she recalls.

Her decision to enroll at Rutgers Law–Camden has proved to be worthwhile. “It has been a wonderful experience here. It’s a great community with a strong alumni network,” Nees observes. “I feel like Rutgers gave me a leg up on my JAG selection.”

Commitments she made to the military did not subside as a law student. Over the winter holiday and during spring break, the Rutgers Law–Camden student contributed to a medical mission at Fort Hunter Liggett in California and the effort earned her an Army Commendation Medal.

“I have no doubt that April will continue to accomplish any goal she sets for herself.  I look forward to working with her in the future on the veteran and military alumni mentoring component of our veteran law student programs,” says Alison Nissen, Director of Academic Programs at Rutgers Law–Camden.

A highlight for Nees while at Rutgers Law–Camden was the opportunity to meet Brigadier General Darpino this spring. “She is a leader who really cares about her soldiers. Not only does she say it, you know she believes it,” asserts Nees. “I hope I’m like her in 15 years. But I know being a leader isn’t just a word, it’s an action.”