Aaron Samsel
Aaron Samsel ’07 describes himself as a fighter for social justice.
A first-year student at CUNY School of Law, he is putting that commitment to work this summer at CASA de Maryland, which advocates for the rights of immigrant workers in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area.
Samsel received a 10-week stipend from the Peggy Browning Fund to support his summer work. More than 500 students from 139 law schools applied for Browning Fellowships this year; about 70 were awarded.
The fellowship is named in memory of Margaret A. Browning, a union-side attorney who was a member of the National Labor Relations Board from 1994 to 1997. Browning Fellows work in public-interest labor law positions nationwide.
“I am looking forward to the challenges, responsibilities, and privileges that come with such an honor, and I know that this will propel me toward my future as a movement lawyer,” Samsel said in a Browning Fund press release.
Since his UMW years, Samsel has completed social justice leadership training at the Highlander Center in Tennessee; worked as a human rights observer in Chiapas, Mexico; and helped found the Faber, Va.-based Wayside Center for Popular Education, a retreat and training center for social justice workers.
He also earned a master’s degree in socio-legal studies from York University in Toronto.