Benjamin Traslaviña (’19) Awarded Peggy Browning Fellowship
The prestigious fellowships support law students working summer positions in public interest labor law.
The Peggy Browning Fund has awarded a 10-week summer fellowship to Benjamin Traslaviña (’19), a first-year student at Boston University School of Law. Benjamin will spend the fellowship working at Gladstein, Reif & Meginniss, LLP in New York, NY. The application process is highly competitive, and the award is a tribute to his outstanding qualifications.
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. Benjamin certainly fits this description.
Benjamin Traslaviña was born and raised in Lynbrook, New York. He credits his parents’ values for his early interest in economic and social justice. Traslaviña’s mother is a life-long social worker and proud former AFT member. His father is a former member of 32BJ SEIU and currently an Operating Engineer with Local 891. With the assistance of a New York State AFL-CIO scholarship, Traslaviña graduated from the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 2009. After graduation he worked as a Field Communicator for the Maine AFL-CIO. Traslaviña also worked as a strategic researcher for the SEIU International and for the National Guestworkers Alliance. Subsequently, Traslavina became a union representative and elected vice-president of UFCW Local 2013 in Brooklyn, New York. He credits the experience of negotiating with employers as his motivation to pursue law school. In 2014, Traslaviña enlisted in the US Army Reserve to serve his community and to help finance his education. He currently serves with the 351st based in New York City and attends Boston University School of Law. Traslaviña is dedicated to becoming a lawyer who supports working people and their families.
The Peggy Browning Fund is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of Margaret A. Browning, a prominent union-side attorney who was a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from 1994 until 1997. Peggy Browning Fellowships provide law students with unique, diverse and challenging work experiences fighting for social and economic justice. These experiences encourage and inspire students to pursue careers in public interest labor law.