Peggy Browning Fellowship awarded to Notre Dame Law student Maya Joseph
Maya Joseph, a rising third-year student at Notre Dame Law School, was selected to receive a workplace justice advocacy fellowship this summer from the Peggy Browning Fund.
Selected from nearly 4,000 applicants, Joseph is one of 117 nationwide recipients of a Peggy Browning Fellowship. The fellowship provides stipends for law students to work for labor unions, worker centers, labor-related not-for-profit organizations, union-side law firms and other nonprofit organizations for ten weeks throughout the summer.
Joseph will be spending her summer with Bush Gottlieb, a southern California law firm with more than 40 years of experience successfully representing pro-labor causes. Inspired by the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes, Joseph is especially interested in labor issues that pertain to the entertainment industry and, after graduation, would like to work with unions to fight for better conditions and appropriate compensation for entertainment workers. She hopes that her time at Bush Gottlieb will offer her a deeper understanding of union-side law and equip her with the necessary tools to effectively advocate for workers' rights.
"I'm so excited to be a part of the 2024 cohort of Peggy Browning Fellows this summer. When I chose a new career interest last fall, it was daunting trying to figure out how to get into labor law, but Vinny Versagli in the Career Development Office and my first generation mentor, Michael Snyder, suggested I apply for the fellowship,” said Joseph. “Now I get to spend my summer at Bush Gottlieb working with various kinds of labor unions–including entertainment unions, which is exactly what I want to do. I'm grateful for Vinny and Michael's guidance as I navigate this new journey!"
An Austin, Texas native, Joseph received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas. At Notre Dame, she served as the president of the Law School’s International Human Rights Society, vice president of the LGBT Law Forum, and director of programming for the Black Law Students Association.
She credits her passion for labor issues to being raised by a hardworking single mom who demonstrated the importance of social justice and the dignity that is inherent to all work.