A Rutgers-Newark Return to Homecoming

Attorney and former Scarlet Raiders soccer team captain excited about homecoming plans in Newark on October 25.

In the years since Jason Chung graduated from Rutgers University–Newark in 2014, he has planned an annual celebration with his alumni friends and fellow soccer players in Newark.

This year, Chung and his friends are excited to join their celebration with the Rutgers–Newark homecoming scheduled for Saturday, October 25. It is the first homecoming to be held on the Newark campus in more than a decade.

“We are very happy about the homecoming celebration,” says Chung, an attorney and partner in a Bergen County law firm. “I think for the school to bring homecoming formally together is pretty cool and I expect there will be a big turnout.”

Chung says he and many of his friends who played on the men’s and women’s soccer teams were thrilled when they learned about the homecoming plans. They were even more excited when they heard that the Raiders would have a home soccer game. “A lot of my teammates have been talking about going to the game,” he says.

Rutgers Provides Strong Foundation for Law School

Chung, a resident of Branchburg, New Jersey, is a graduate of Monroe Township High School who received a full academic scholarship to Rutgers where he was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society.

Chung credits Rutgers for preparing him for law school including giving him the ability to study and internalize information. “I just love Rutgers,” he says.

After graduating from Rutgers with a degree in political science and a minor in philosophy, Chung attended Wake Forest University School of Law and currently works as an insurance litigation attorney at Cruser Mitchell Novitz Sanchez Gaston & Zimet, LLP, in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, where he is a partner.

Being an attorney is an enjoyable experience for Chung, he says, adding he started out in contract law, but realized he prefers negotiations and litigation.

“It’s more my job to make sure things don’t go to court, but I enjoy talking with people and being able to negotiate and figure things out,” he says.

Soccer’s Significant Impact

Chung, who played center back for four years on the Raiders, says he had a late start in the sport, not playing soccer until middle school. Today he is the captain and assistant coach of Ironbound Soccer Club’s UPSL Premier semi-professional team and serves as head coach for FC Neshanic, head boys’ soccer coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, and assistant coach for the Newark Ironbound’s U23 men’s team.

In addition to what he learned in the classroom in Newark, he says his experience on the soccer team prepared him for life.

“Soccer at Rutgers paved the way for me as you are thrown onto a diverse team with almost 40 kids,” he says. “You don’t know anybody and you’re forced to make connections and friends, deal with adversity, deal with fighting for a spot and all that type of stuff, which goes a long way in terms of preparing you for the rest of your life as well.”

The connections Chung made at Rutgers were the highlight of his years there. Some of his best friends played soccer for the men’s or women’s teams. “I just loved being out in the field with my teammates and friends,” he says.

Playing a college-level sport forces students to manage different situations to which they may not normally be exposed, he says.

“Soccer prepares you for dealing with life and the real world,” Chung says. “I think a lot of people underestimate how much athletics, particularly once you get to the college level, really set you up for success.”

For more information and to register, visit Rutgers-Newark homecoming.

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