CAMDEN — Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonya Sotomayor are among those who blazed a trail for young women with
aspirations to study law.

The next
female Supreme Court Justice might just be from right here in Camden.

The Women’s
Law Caucus at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden is mentoring the city’s teenage
girls through “I Dare to Care,” a grassroots program established by a
Rutgers–Camden graduate. The program works to empower Camden girls ages 8 and
older, develop their leadership

Samantha Gross, a student at the Rutgers School of Law-Camden and president of the Women's Law Caucus, discusses law with a group of teen girls.

skills, advise them on college applications and
resume writing, and expose them to different career paths.

“These are
girls who have aspirations to go to college and do big things with their lives
and the Women’s Law Caucus decided to step in and serve as mentors,” says Ellen
Camburn, a second-year law student at Rutgers–Camden who serves as a liaison
between the Women’s Law Caucus and I Dare to Care.

“I think
having female role models and having women to look up to is empowering for the
young women,” says Camburn, of Ocean City. “It’s important to show them they
can go to law school and achieve great things if they want to.”

The mission of the 100-member Women's Law Caucus at
Rutgers–Camden is to provide ongoing support to both male and female law
students through education on women’s legal and social issues, networking, and
support of community and legal organizations. The caucus has both male and
female members.

Student members of the caucus began their partnership
with I Dare to Care about three years ago after reaching out to founder Pamela Grayson-Baltimore.

“It’s been an
amazing experience for the girls,” says Grayson-Baltimore, a Pennsauken
resident raised in Camden who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
social work from Rutgers–Camden.

“The
Rutgers–Camden law students relate so well to the girls on many different levels
and it’s an opportunity to expose the girls to fields they otherwise wouldn’t
have a chance to experience,” says Grayson-Baltimore, who has applied for
nonprofit status for I Dare to Care, which offers mentorship to more than 100
Camden girls.

In addition
to financial aid workshops, leadership conferences, and an annual breast cancer
walk, the Women’s Law Caucus and I Dare to Care will participate in
Rutgers–Camden’s Street Law Pro Bono project on March 26, which teaches Camden-area
children about how the law affects them.

“It’s easy
for us to get bogged down in our work, but we’re in a wonderful city and we can
learn a lot from it, too,” says Samantha Gross, a second-year law student at
Rutgers–Camden and president of the Women’s Law Caucus. “It’s been a great
opportunity to give back to this community.”

Gross, who is
form Cherry Hill, says it is rewarding to see the enthusiasm among the I Dare
to Care teens.

“One girl
said to me that she wanted to be a public defender and a judge,” Gross says. “It
shows such great ambition. It’s great and I love to see that. She was asking me
interesting questions as to what it’s like to be in those positions and what
she has to major in if she wants to go to law school. It’s nice to see they
have a 10-year plan for themselves and it’s nice to see them take interest.”

For more
information about the Women’s Law Caucus at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden
visit wlc.camlaw.rutgers.edu/home.