Ron Chicken ’09

Double major in Classics and Religious Studies
M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary, 2012
Entering law school at the University of Georgia in Fall 2014

With seven family members and four generations of successful alums, choosing to attend Montclair State University was both one of the easiest and best decisions I have ever made. I graduated in ’09 after majoring in Classics and Religious Studies, as well as earning a minor in Philosophy. In addition to my classroom education, I left Montclair with lifelong friends, irreplaceable memories and an unforgettable student experience. I participated in intramural sports and was involved with countless organizations. I was also elected and served two terms as Student Government President.

After graduation I pursued a Master’s degree at Princeton Theological Seminary in Theology and Philosophy. Building upon the foundation I received from Montclair State, I made it a priority to excel both inside and outside the classroom at Princeton. Academically I pushed myself beyond the normal requirements with PhD seminars at Princeton University. I studied abroad in India and received a fellowship to study in Berlin, Germany. As a full time student I also held leadership roles in intramural sports and took on a unique internship working twenty hours a week at the State Psychiatric Hospital in Trenton, NJ while again serving as a Student Government President. I credit both my academic and extracurricular success at Princeton with the education and mentoring I received from Montclair State University and its superb faculty and administrators.

Since graduating from Princeton I have been working as a pastor in Gloucester City, NJ. Over the past two years I helped restart a youth program at the Highland Park Church of God, worked in the local schools as a substitute teacher, and was elected to the city’s local minister’s ecumenical association as Secretary Treasurer. Following my wedding in June 2014, I plan to continue my education and pursue a Juris Doctorate at the University of Georgia. I am grateful to the professors in both the Philosophy & Religion and Classics Departments at Montclair, who have always encouraged and supported me, both as a student and as an alumnus. I wish the best of luck to all graduating Red Hawks and urge them to make Montclair proud as they follow their dreams and help create tomorrow.