Skylar Brotz developed a love for law in high school when she served as co-captain of the mock trial team. There, she learned how to defend a position using facts. The time she spent researching, preparing her arguments and eventually making her case in front of her classmates solidified her decision to pursue a career as a prosecutor or legislator.
Brotz, of Delran, chose to begin her criminal justice studies at Rowan College at Burlington County due to its affordability and flexibility.
“I went to school in Delran for most of my life, so RCBC has always been in my peripheral,” Brotz said. “I am transferring to The College of William & Mary for the spring 2022 semester, but being the oldest of five kids, it was a great affordable option for me and allows me to work full time, as well. I am taking all online classes, but all of my professors are fantastic and have made learning a very enjoyable experience!”
Brotz co-manages her family’s store Flagg’s Garden Center in Moorestown. Although she’s taken on many responsibilities there, one of the most important was spearheading a sexual assault awareness initiative.
“Contact of Burlington County invited our business to participate in raising awareness by displaying the teal ribbon during Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” Brotz recalled. “As a business, we'd never done that before, but the issue is something very near and dear to me, so I really advocated that we take part in it. I work with a lot of younger girls, so it was a very special thing that I was able to raise awareness around the issue among them. Contact provided a list of possible things we could do to address and raise awareness on the issue. I encouraged the girls to participate in these and created a discussion about it. Overall, being a small business in the community and being able to raise awareness on such an important issue with such a fantastic organization was an incredible and educational experience.”
It also led to Brotz’ recent recognition among Burlington County’s Outstanding Women of the Year and her earning the Alice Paul Champion Award.
“I feel incredibly honored to be recognized as one of the outstanding women of Burlington County, especially in the midst of everyone else who was recognized,” Brotz said. “The women who were picked are truly amazing and have incredible achievements.”
Brotz doesn’t plan to stop there, as she hopes to continue to increase her advocacy for women's issues in the future. She ran a social media account to raise awareness about social issues, including abortion rights, violence toward women, human trafficking and more.
“There's always more to accomplish,” Brotz said. “I hope to either become a prosecutor or a legislator, and my main goal with either career is to defend and protect survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, two very important issues to me. When I transfer to William & Mary, I'm considering either double majoring in government and history or majoring in government with a minor in creative writing. I hope to strengthen my advocacy even further through joining some of their many organizations. I feel like with advocacy there is always more to be done, and I'm committed to following that mindset in the future!”
When she’s not busy advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, Brotz enjoys reading, writing and flexing her Jeopardy chops. She also likes to watch true crime and investigative documentaries.