2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows

2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Daniela Florido JD’22 Temple University School of Law Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Legal Assistance, Pennsylvania Farmworker Project Philadelphia, PA Daniela was born in Cali, Columbia and grew up in the U.S. which taught her the importance of fighting for what you believe in and using your abilities to help pave the way for others. Her purpose is not just to become a lawyer but to use her abilities and talents to help others. Daniela focuses on being an example to her Latino community, showing that they too can excel in life and that education opens the doors to unimaginable opportunities. She believes that studying law is not about saving the world, but is about giving of yourself so that the rights and liberties of others are not taken from them. For Daniela, being a lawyer is about integrity, knowing that not every battle can be won, yet fighting zealously and advocating for those who have entrusted their lives and livelihood to you. Virginia Fergusson JD’22 Georgetown University Law Center Washington, DC American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Washington, DC Virginia received her B.A. in English from Kenyon College and was a member of the NCAA women’s soccer team for all four years. Prior to law school, Virginia worked as a litigation paralegal for the union- side law firm Bredhoff & Kaiser, where she was also a member of OPEIU Local 2. Through her work at Bredhoff, Virginia was exposed to the many ways unions protect the interests and rights of workers, inspiring her interest in labor and employment law. She is currently serving on the executive board of the Labor & Employment Law Society. Virginia is originally from the DC area, and was raised by long- time employees of the Environmental Protection Agency. Mary Kate Dugan JD’22 Indiana University Maurer School of Law Bloomington, IN Joel F. Dillard, P.A. Jackson, MS Mary Kate is an activist, organizer, and law student from Indianapolis, IN. Motivated by her own work experiences and those of her loved ones, she aspires to use her law degree to advocate for working people who have been disrespected or mistreated by their employer. While working in restaurants, Mary Kate began organizing with the labor movement to combat Right to Work legislation in Indiana. Later, she served as executive director of Central Indiana Jobs with Justice, where she led the coalition in fighting for higher wages and better working conditions for low wage workers. More recently, Mary Kate worked in nonprofit administration, where she has continued to advocate for workers by spearheading efforts to change racist policies and discriminatory hiring procedures. Jonah Feitelson JD’22 University of Michigan Law School Ann Arbor, MI New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Latham, NY Jonah began working in the labor movement as an organizer for UNITE HERE Local 25 in Washington, DC. For four years, he fought alongside hotel workers in some of the largest hotels in DC for fair contracts and representation at work. Through this work, he gained a passion for workers’ rights and an understanding of the inherent inequalities in our economic system. This inspired him to attend the University of Michigan School of Law where he has continued to work in labor as a board member of the Michigan Immigration and Labor Law Association and as an organizer with the Graduate Employees Organization. Jonah hopes to work toward a legal career supporting unions and workers in the fight for economic justice.