2021 Peggy Browning Fellows

2021 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Nick Martiniano JD’22 Penn State Law University Park, PA New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Latham, NY As a native of upstate New York, Nick is incredibly excited to return to the area to work with the union that represents his hometown teachers. Nick learned the importance of union representation and the labor movement through his own union membership in Actors Equity Association. Before law school, Nick attended Russell Sage College, where he earned a degree in Musical Theatre. While in law school, he is a member of the executive boards of Phi Delta Phi; If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice; Parents Attending Law School; the Student Bar Association; and as an associate editor on the Penn State Law Review . Nick would like to thank his wife and children, family, and friends for their tireless support and the Peggy Browning Fund for this incredible opportunity. Fabiola Martinez JD’22 Southwestern Law School Los Angeles, CA Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs Washington, DC A first-generation law student and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Fabiola became aware of the struggles workers face from watching her mother and father work long hours as a warehouse worker and contractor, ever since they immigrated to the United States. Fabiola attended the University of California, Berkeley for her undergraduate studies where she developed a passion for social justice. After graduation, she worked at a social-justice oriented law firm in San Francisco for 2 years before attending law school. Last summer, Fabiola worked with survivors of domestic violence, helping them attain restraining orders, child support and custody orders. After law school, Fabiola hopes to use her law degree to continue advocating for working class communities. Juan Fernando Luna JD’23 Yale Law School New Haven, CT Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Washington, DC As the son of an undocumented construction worker, Juan Fernando witnessed contractors force his community to labor under life-threatening conditions for poverty-level wages. These experiences inspired him to join Workers Defense Project (WDP) after graduating from Texas A&M University. In support of the worker center’s mission of creating a dignified construction industry, Juan Fernando planned and oversaw weekly wage claim clinics that served over thirty workers a night. A year later, he moved to Houston where he helped WDP design and execute organizing campaigns that established new standards for safety, wages, and benefits in the construction industry. In law school, Juan Fernando is involved in the Law and Political Economy Student Group and the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic.   Cassandra Maas JD’22 University of Pittsburgh School of Law Pittsburgh, PA American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Washington, DC Cassandra grew up in a union family. So many of her family members have either belonged to or currently belong to locals associated with different international unions. Her pride in her familymembers’ hard work and her wish to provide justice for all workers, combined with her experience researching labor unions as an undergraduate, motivated Cassandra to attend law school. During her first summer, Cassandra’s passion for helpingotherswas deepened throughher experience with Community Justice Project in Pittsburgh. Her interest in labor law was cemented during her second year, when she worked with the United Steelworkers at the union’s headquarters. Cassandra aspires to become a labor lawyer and work for a union, so that she can work to provide justice for all workers.