2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows

2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Jesus Cruz JD’21 Emory University School of Law Atlanta, GA Raise the Floor Alliance Chicago, IL Originally from Cuba, Jesus immigrated to South Florida at the age of 15. His experiences while growing up as the son of an immigrant single mother made him aware of the influence communities have in the lives of blue-collar workers. He was then motivated to volunteer for several organizations for which he was recognized with the Presidential Service Award during his sophomore year. During that time, Jesus also worked at several companies in entry level positions, which further informed him about the economic struggles of employees at similar situated positions. Through this study of poverty and social inequality, Jesus became interested in attending law school where he became increasingly interested in solutions that not only provide a remedy but that can also proactively work toward an improvement in blue-collar workers’ economic lives through a holistic approach. Autumn Clarke JD’21 American University Washington College of Law Washington, DC Mehri & Skalet, PLLC Washington, DC Autumn’s interest in workers’ rights and employment law peaked after she took an employment and labor law class during her second year of law school. In prior work experiences, Autumn gained first-hand knowledge about the issues federalworkers experienced in the workplace regarding discrimination, changes in human resource policies, and poor management. This experience demonstrated how vulnerable workers can be and how legal advocates are often the only champion these employees have when issues arise. Autumn is excited to expand her experience in employment and workers’ rights matters as a Peggy Browning Fellow this summer. Simon Cao JD’22 Penn State Law University Park, PA American Federation of State, County Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) Washington, DC Simon took his experiences growing up in a union household to earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in sociology. Prior to law school, Simon worked for the Albuquerque Teachers Federation as a staff representative. In that role, Simon advocated for members through grievance handling, grievance hearings, arbitration, contract enforcement, as a negotiating team member, and through organizing. He won over $1.2 million in back-pay and benefits for members and wrote negotiated contractual language still in force in Albuquerque. He also helped members enforce their rights under FMLA, ADA, and civil rights statutes. Simon plans on continuing his passion of empowering workers by becoming a labor lawyer and working for a union. Elisa Cibils JD’22 University of New Mexico School of Law Albuquerque, NM New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty Albuquerque, NM Growing up an Argentinian immigrant in the U.S.- Mexicoborder region ignitedElisa’s passion for serving underrepresented communities through a career in public interest law. Before law school, she worked as a Department of Justice accredited representative, preparing humanitarian-based visa applications in Los Angeles. Elisa was also dedicated to serving her office’s employee union, learning about the impact of labor law in the workplace and the importance of continued collaboration between employees and their employer to ensure the protection of workers’ rights. She volunteered with Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project in Portland, OR, collaborating with their dispatch and wage theft teams. Elisa is excited to learn more about becoming an effective advocate for workers’ and immigrants’ rights during her Summer Fellowship.