Rutgers Race & the Law Review
Biographies
Taylor Craney
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Taylor Craney is a third-year law student and one of the Editor-in-Chiefs of Rutgers Race and the Law Review. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2016 with a BA in History and Global Studies. While at the U of M, she was certified as a sexual assault crisis counselor in the state of Minnesota which inspired her to attend law school. During law school, she has interned with Sanctuary for Families, Day One, and Rutgers Law Associates. She is also the student coordinator at Rutgers for the Courtroom Advocates Project. After graduation, she hopes to practice family law and work with victims and survivors of domestic violence.
Zahra Mian
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Zahra Mian is an Editor-In-Chief of the Rutgers Race and the Law Review and will be graduating from Rutgers Law School in May 2020. Zahra earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees from Rutgers University in 2013, where she majored in Psychology and History, with a focus in South Asian history. She also received her Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville in 2016. Zahra has a demonstrated passion for protecting the civil liberties and rights of others. During her time at Rutgers Law School, she was selected as a fellow for the Rutgers University Center for Security, Race and Rights and she also participated in a judicial internship with the Essex County Superior Court, Family Division. Zahra will be completing a judicial clerkship in the Essex County Superior Court, Family Division upon graduation, and is interested in pursuing a career in matrimonial litigation thereafter. At Rutgers Law School, Zahra has also been involved in the Minority Student’s Program, Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association, Muslim Law Student’s Association, and Family Law Society.
Janai Fraser
Senior Managing Editor
Janai Fraser is a third-year law student at Rutgers Law Newark, originally from East Harlem, New York. Currently, she serves as the Senior Managing Editor on the Rutgers Race and the Law Review Journal. In 2017, Janai graduated from City College of New York, as a Skadden Arp Law Scholar with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Law. During her time at Rutgers, Janai has been a Judicial Intern at the Essex County Superior Court; a Mock Trial Coach and Teaching Fellow with Legal Outreach in Newark, NJ and New York City; and is currently interning at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Janai is also an A Better Chance Alumna and during her downtime, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and kickboxing.
Mariam Hashmi
Senior Managing Editor
Mariam Hashmi is one of the Senior Managing Editors of Rutgers Race and The Law Review. She went to undergrad at Rutgers University where she majored in Criminal Justice and minored in Political Science. Prior to attending law school, Mariam worked at a family law firm in New York City. She is currently a law clerk at Levinson Axelrod, P.A., where she handles plaintiff’s side personal injury cases. She intends to pursue a career in family law. At Rutgers Law School, Mariam is a member of the Minority Student Program, The Family Law Society, and The Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.
Fiona Wang
Managing Articles Editor
Fiona Wang is the Managing Articles Editor of the Rutgers Race and the Law Review. She is a third year law student and will be graduating Rutgers Law School in May 2020. Fiona received her Bachelor’s of Art at SUNY Albany, where she majored in English and Chinese and minored in Business Administration. Fiona hopes to pursue tax or bankruptcy law after law school.
Noreen Ahmed
Notes & Comments Editor
Noreen grew up in an immigrant and union household in Paterson, NJ. As a first-generation college student, she honed her skills through the help of mentors and diverse student organizations that cultivated spaces for dialogue on issues that people from marginalized communities face. Focusing on Labor Studies and Employment Relations during her bachelor’s degree reinforced her belief that direct involvement in dismantling racial, economic, and social oppression is key to creating a systemic change. After starting law school Noreen interned at the New Jersey Attorney General’s office and for the National Employment Law Project in New York. Noreen is the President of the South Asian Law Students Association, has served on the executive boards of various other organizations, and worked with survivors of abuse at shelters. Noreen aims to use her education and experiences to advocate for and empower disadvantaged workers.
Maria Emilia Ponce
Business & Symposium Editor
Maria Ponce was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She received her B.A. in Latin American Studies and Mexican American Studies, with concentrations in Spanish and Public Policy, from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014. Maria came to law school knowing she wanted to be directly involved in her community and has focused on working in family law and immigration within the public interest sector. Though she plans on staying in the NJ/NY area after graduation, she hopes to go back home one day unless Whataburger (and her parents) makes its way to the northeast.
Kamaria Guity
Notes & Comments Editor
Kamaria Guity is one of our current Notes and Comments Editors. She is completing her 3L year and received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in Criminal Justice and Sociology. Prior to law school, Kamaria worked as a legal assistant for a personal injury firm in Florida. She is a member of the Association of Latin American Law Students and the Association of Black Law Students. Kamaria is currently a Clinical Law Student with our Civil Justice Clinic. She is interested in pursuing a career in Labor and Employment Litigation.
Micauri Vargas
Business & Symposium Editor
Micauri Vargas is one of our current Business and Symposium Editors. She is completing her 3L year and received her undergraduate degree from New York University in Economics. Prior to law school, Micauri worked in Business Development for a big law firm in New York City. She is a co-leader of the American Constitution Society and the National Lawyers’ Guild. Micauri is currently a Clinical Law Student with our Education and Health Law Clinic, an extern at the New York State Office of the Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Bureau, and a Research Assistant to Associate Dean Jon C. Dubin. She is interested in pursuing a legal career in government in environmental or health care law.
Nikia Clark
Camden Liaison Editor
Nikia Clark was born and raised in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia. In May of 2016, Nikia graduated Cum Laude from La Salle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a minor in political science.
In 2017, Nikia entered Rutgers Law School. Nikia is a member of Rutgers Law’s Minority Students Program and a Social Justice Scholar. Nikia served as President of the Black Law Students Association, and HERstorian for the Women’s Law Caucus for the 2018-2019 school term. Currently, Nikia serves as the Chief of Staff for the Mid-Atlantic region of the National Black Law Students Association. Upon graduation, she hopes to work in the field of labor and employment law or environmental law.