The Miriam Thomas Chaplin Endowed Scholarship was established in 2006 by Mr. C. Edward Chaplin, RC’78, in honor of his mother, a beloved professor and chair of the Department of English at Rutgers–Camden. The scholarship is awarded based on academic merit to full-time students majoring in English, with a preference for recipients who are members of underrepresented minority groups.
About Miriam Thomas Chaplin
Dr. Miriam Thomas Chaplin was a devoted educator and scholar who worked tirelessly to benefit her students and community throughout her life. Before joining Rutgers–Camden, she was a director of reading instruction in the Model Cities Program in Philadelphia, an element of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and War on Poverty. The program, which ran from 1966 to 1974, succeeded in fostering a new generation of black urban leaders. Dr. Chaplin was a rising force in Philadelphia, having participated in the fight to integrate Girard College, and she supported the education component of Model Cities as an essential part of a comprehensive response to poverty.
Dr. Chaplin joined Rutgers as an instructor in the Academic Foundations Department at Rutgers–Camden in 1972 and earned her Ed.D. from Rutgers Graduate School of Education in 1976. Over time, she became a full professor and chair of the Rutgers–Camden English Department. She published frequently on topics relating to English and language arts education, student learning styles, and African American Vernacular English. She chaired the National Council of Teachers of English in the 1980s and established an exchange program through Rutgers, allowing educators in South Africa and New Jersey to visit each other and share experiences. Dr. Chaplin was an unflagging advocate for African American and other minority students at the Camden campus and for minority faculty throughout Rutgers. She was loved by those students and faculty and was a vocal irritant to the university’s power structure on their behalf until her retirement in 1995.
Dr. Chaplin passed away in 2016. She adored meeting with Chaplin Scholars throughout her retirement and considered these student visits a blessing in the final years of her life.
Make a gift to the Miriam Thomas Chaplin Endowed Scholarship
As of 2024, the Chaplin Scholarship has supported 43 undergraduates through their educational journey at Rutgers–Camden. Following graduation, Chaplin Scholars have built successful careers in law, education, government, business, tech, and many other fields.
Give todayScholarship Recipients
Elikemuel Rodriguez CCAS’26
Madona E. Soliman CCAS’24
Jochebed Airede CCAS’24
Gretchen A. Purvis CCAS’25
Samira Lari CCAS’24
Wayne A. Reynolds, II CCAS’25
Arianna E. Davis CCAS’23
Isaiah Dingle CCAS’23
Alexandria Dudlick CCAS’23
Maria Alcantara CCAS’23
Elvis C. Ramirez CCAS’22
Brittany L. Clements CCAS’23
Chanel D. Richardson CCAS’22
Kristine Hagerthey CCAS’21
Christina M. Larkins CCAS’21
Lavanna S. Wright CCAS’21
Aminah A. Twyman CCAS’21
Nachisha N. Lightsey CCAS’19
Brigida D. Costantino CCAS’20
Yesenia Huetter CCAS’20
Andin Ncho CCAS’20
Alexis N. Weaver CCAS’18
Alicia Rodriguez CCAS’18
Yolanda Quintana CCAS’17
Mary Pollard CCAS’18
Tiara Deguzman CCAS’17
Sophia R. Stokes CCAS’16
Marisa E. Julia CCAS’17
Dulcinel Nunez CCAS’15
Ilse Garcia Romero CCAS’15
Charisse Q. Epps CCAS’14
Merve Ocak CCAS’15
Reva M. Hall CCAS’14
April Smith UCC’14
Jessica R. Stewart UCC’12
Janell Rohan CCAS’10
Siedah Brunson CCAS’09
Elizabeth Licorish CCAS’09
Heather Colletto CCAS’08
Peter Gambino CCAS’09
David Solomon, Esq. CCAS’06
Emily R. McCambridge CCAS’06
Tiffany C. Coleman CCAS’06