Four Minnesota Law Students Awarded 2026 Peggy Browning Fellowships

Four Minnesota Law Students, Nathanael Ashton-Piper ’27, Frannie Mace ’28, William Olson ’27, and Cesar Plascencia ’27, have been awarded 2026 Peggy Browning Fellowships in workplace justice advocacy. Over 3,300 law students nationwide applied for the fellowships, with 103 students receiving the awards. These fellows are distinguished students who have not only excelled in law school but also demonstrated their commitment to workers’ rights through their prior educational, organizing, work, volunteer, and personal experiences.

Nathanael Ashton-Piper ’27 is a Robina Public Interest Scholar dedicated to advancing workers’ rights and economic justice through collective action and unions. His passion for labor law is rooted in the values of his grandparents, both of whom were pastors in the Lutheran Church. His grandfather’s first pastoral ministry included organizing immigrant steel mill workers, and he later organized with the Ohio AFL-CIO. Nathanael became further interested in the unifying power of labor after watching the 2018 teacher strikes and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s election victory with the backing of organized labor. He completed a Browning Fellowship last summer with Make the Road New Jersey, where he learned and practiced the core tenets of movement lawyering. At Minnesota Law, he is actively involved with the Student Labor and Employment Law Association, Black Law Students Association, and Minnesota Law Student Labor Union (affiliated with AFSCME Council 5) as it negotiates its first contract.

Frannie Mace ’28 was raised in Portland, Oregon. She studied Political Science and Global Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she developed a strong interest in economic justice and the ways legal and institutional systems shape access to stable employment. After college, Frannie worked with refugees, supporting them as they navigated complex employment situations, including barriers related to language access, job quality, and workplace rights. During law school, Frannie has continued this commitment through her union work, gathering data and building relationships as part of a rideshare driver organizing committee. She is grateful for the opportunity to support Teamsters 117 through the Peggy Browning Fund as she pursues a career advancing workplace justice and dignity.

William Olson ’27 is committed to pursuing economic justice through a career in labor law. William’s interest in labor law began in undergrad, where he majored in philosophy, politics, and law, and developed an interest in utilizing the law to pursue economic and racial justice. As a student at Minnesota Law, he has served as the vice president of the Student Employment and Labor Law Association, and serves as a member of the bargaining team for the Law Student Labor Union as they continue to negotiate their first collective bargaining agreement. Now, William is more than excited to be working with the National Treasury Employees Union where he hopes to learn more about the unique challenges facing federal workers, and the important role federal unions play in strengthening democracy.

Cesar Plascencia ’27 holds a B.A. in history and political science from San Francisco State University. There, he committed himself to the labor movement after studying the 2012 Chicago Teachers’ Strike. After earning an M.A. in education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, Cesar taught 11th-grade humanities at a public school in Oakland, California, helping to organize his coworkers during the 2023 Oakland Teachers’ Strike. Since starting law school, Cesar has worked at the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, and the Communications Workers of America. He also spent his 1L summer as a Peggy Browning Fellow with United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America. Cesar is honored to be selected as a Peggy Browning Fellow with the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh.

Congratulations, Nathanael, Frannie, William, and Cesar!