CUA Law students, Richard Smith Jr. and Rachel Steber were each awarded a 2017 Peggy Browning Summer Fellowship. The program provides stipends to law students who dedicate their summer to advancing the cause of workers' rights by working for labor unions, worker centers, labor-related not-for-profit organizations, union-side law firms and other nonprofit organizations. It is a ten-week summer fellowship available to 1st and 2nd year law students intended to encourage them to consider labor law as a viable career choice.
Richard Smith Jr. is a Peggy Browning Fellow at Sherman, Dunn, Cohen, Leifer & Yellig, P.C. in Washington, D.C. Prior to law school, Richard received his Bachelor's in Health Studies Management, and began to work towards his Master's degree in Health Care Administration. During law school, Richard's interest in labor law was sparked through a second-year course taught on the subject, and he is working towards a concentration in Labor and Employment Law. He is also Executive Editor of the Catholic University Law Review.
Rachel Steber's Peggy Browning Fellowship is at th Equal Justice Center in Austin, Texas. Rachel is entering her third year as a part-time evening student at The Catholic University Columbus School of Law. When not in class, Rachel works in the Office of the General Counsel at the AFL-CIO where, among other responsibilities, she helps to edit and prepare briefs on labor law issues and organize conferences for union-side labor lawyers. Before joining the labor movement, Rachel worked with a local DC non-profit assisting homeless and low-income individuals to secure gainful employment. Prior to living in DC, Rachel spent a year volunteering with an AmeriCorps program in El Paso, Texas. There, she worked as a family reunification and refugee case worker at an immigration legal clinic where she was able to use her Spanish fluency to assist a largely Spanish-speaking client base. Rachel is looking forward to connecting her experiences in labor, employment, and immigration at the Equal Justice Center this summer. She plans to dedicate her legal career to advocating for immigrant and workers' rights. Rachel is originally from Davidson, N.C., and studied Political Science and International Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2017, the Peggy Browning Fund will support over 80 public interest labor law fellowships nationwide. Securing a Peggy Browning Fellowship is not an easy task, with nearly 400 applicants this year competing for the honor. Peggy Browning Fellows are distinguished students who have not only excelled in law school, but who have also demonstrated their commitment to workers' rights through their previous educational, work, volunteer and personal experiences.