Three Northeastern Law Students Selected for 2026 Peggy Browning Fellowships 

09.15.26 — Three Northeastern University School of Law students — Anastasia Assenso ’28, Henry Barford and Segan Helle ’27— spent their summer as 2026 Peggy Browning Fellows, one of the most competitive public interest fellowship programs in the country. Selected from a pool of 3,370 applicants, the three joined a national class of 103 law students who dedicated their summer to working for labor unions, worker centers and union-side law firms across the country. Now approaching its 30th year, the Peggy Browning Fund has built a network of more than 1,500 alumni working on the labor movement’s most pressing issues. Its mission, to empower the next generation of workplace justice advocates, places law students directly inside unions and labor-focused organizations for a minimum 10-week fellowship, backed by a stipend of at least $700 per week.

The fellowships continue Northeastern Law’s strong track record with the Peggy Browning Fund, reflecting the school’s broader emphasis on experiential, practice-ready legal education and its long-standing ties to the labor and employment law community. Fellows worked on co-op under the supervision of a qualified attorney and were given varied assignments meant to expose them to the full range of labor and workplace advocacy, from collective bargaining and arbitration to NLRB litigation and organizing campaigns.

Anastasia Assenso ’28 spent the summer on co-op with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Washington, DC. Assenso majored in industrial and labor relations at Cornell University, where she developed her understanding of the connections between the labor movement, social justice and economic advancement. She traces her commitment to workers’ rights to watching her mother, a native of Ghana, navigate working in the healthcare field as a single mother. Assenso is also the recipient of Northeastern Law’s Public Interest Law Scholarship, the school’s highest honor for students pursuing public interest careers.

“Working at the SEIU this summer was such an amazing experience,” said Assenso. “After first learning about this fellowship as an undergrad at Cornell, becoming a fellow and working at the SEIU felt like a full-circle moment I will always cherish. I worked in various forms of movement lawyering, diving into traditional labor law alongside policy and advocacy work in key areas that are integral to supporting the union and its members. I leave this fellowship experience with an even greater commitment to the labor movement, and grateful for all the wonderful people I got to meet along the way.”

Henry Barford ’27, who first became involved in the labor movement during the 2011 protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s Act 10, which was designed to end traditional collective bargaining for most public sector employees, spent the summer on co-op with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in Washington, DC. At Northeastern Law, Barford serves as treasurer of the Northeastern Employment and Labor Law Association and is a member of the graduate student union, GENU-UAW. On a previous co-op, Barford conducted legal research and assisted clients with post-judgment relief at Legal Action of Wisconsin.

Segan Helle ’27 spent the summer on co-op with Solidarity Law in Portland, Maine. Helle previously taught high school history at a charter school, where she helped organize the school’s first educators’ union. Helle was also honored with a Peggy Browning Fellowship in summer 2025, which she used to fund a co-op with Greater Boston Legal Services’ Workers’ Rights Unit. Among Helle’s honors, she received Northeastern Law’s Law, Equity and Race Scholarship, the school’s highest honor for students interested in pursuing careers in civil rights, restorative justice or criminal justice reform.

“I am deeply grateful to have had another great summer supported by the Peggy Browning Fellowship,” said Helle. “My time at Solidarity Law introduced me to fantastic mentors in the labor movement. I have learned so much more about what it means to be an advocate for workers’ rights and I leave so inspired by the efforts of workers, organizers and advocates in the field.”

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