2021 Peggy Browning Fellows

2021 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Brandon Vaca JD’22 University of Minnesota Law School Minneapolis, MN American Federation of Teachers Washington, DC Brandon grew up in Sioux Falls, SD, graduated from Creighton University and has graduate degrees in the areas of education, theology/ministry, and sociology of religion. Before law school, Brandon taught in high schools in Pine Ridge, SD; Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia; and San Francisco, CA. He was a school representative and proud member of AFT Local 2240 in San Francisco, representing faculty and staff in private religious high schools, workplaces the Supreme Court has determined are beyond the reach of federal labor laws. Brandon’s work in San Francisco deepened his concern for those who must organize and act collectively without the law’s protection. His interest in labor law stems from his desire to support workers’ radical commitment to stand with their colleagues and their communities. Benjamin Trouvais JD’23 University of California, Berkeley, College of Law Berkeley, CA National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Washington, DC Born into a union family of sheet metal workers, grocers, and postal workers on Chicago’s South Side, Ben has always valued the vital role that unions play in promoting workers’ well-being. While studying economics at the University of Illinois, Ben founded a pro bono, student-led consulting firm that helped negotiate raises for public-sector unions in central Illinois. In 2020, voters in Champaign County, IL elected him to serve as an organized labor liaison between local unions and the county government. Ben’s decision to attend law school and study labor law was an easy one. He is currently an executive editor of the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law , a co-leader of his school’s Wage Justice Clinic, and a proud department steward with UAW Local 2865. Aaron Strom JD’22 Syracuse University College of Law Syracuse, NY Los Angeles Black Worker Center Los Angeles, CA Aaron was born and raised in Central Florida where his family has lived for six generations as farmers, educators, mail carriers, and construction workers. He received his bachelor’s degree in History with a concentration on US Political History, which granted him access to work as a political organizer and researcher with a variety of campaigns and movements. That’s when Aaron became acutely aware of how the American economic and legal system engages in the exploitation of the working class. This realization was the impetus for his pursuit of a law degree. Through the study of law, Aaron aspires to hone himself and the skills he needs to hold those in power accountable, fight on behalf of the working class, and fundamentally change the system to benefit the American worker. Anne Tewksbury JD’22 New York University School of Law New York, NY United Steelworkers (USW) Pittsburgh, PA Motivated by the idea that individual workers are far too easily exploited under a legal system rigged by corporate interests, Anne believes that when organized, they have the power to challenge and change the system itself. In law school she has focused on labor law and workers’ rights. Anne is an advocate in NYU’s Employment Law Clinic, a research assistant focused on labor issues, and a staff editor at the Review of Law and Social Change . She has also worked with the People’s Parity Project: serving as the student representative on the national organization’s Board of Directors, leading the NYU campus chapter, and building an NYC regional organizing network. Anne worked at the Center for Popular Democracy organizing unemployed workers around COVID-19 relief and advocating for unemployment insurance reform.