Dear friends,
I am pleased to introduce to you the 2025 class of CEO civil rights fellows. This August, the fellows will participate in our intensive seminar-style program in Washington, D.C.
This fellowship is a first-of-its-kind program within which fellows receive instruction and training in civil rights caselaw, enforcement practices, and public policy. For example, fellows will learn the history of major civil rights laws, become familiar with major Supreme Court decisions in this area, and learn about current controversies surrounding civil rights law and enforcement.
The seminars will be led by law and policy experts, litigators, former government officials, and other thought leaders. Fellows will also receive media training on writing effective op-eds, engaging with the media, and making the most of interviews.
We are very pleased with the continued interest among law students in our program. Thank you to our friends and supporters for helping us to find this exceedingly talented and interesting group of fellows.
Warmest regards,
Devon
Luis Barboza
Campbell Law School
Luis Barboza is a proud American, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and a rising 3L at Campbell University School of Law with a deep commitment to the principles of liberty, personal responsibility, and the rule of law. Born and raised in Mexico, Luis immigrated to the United States at age 12 and enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17, serving as an infantryman. His experiences shaped a strong belief in the value of hard work, national sovereignty, and American exceptionalism. As a single parent and future prosecutor, Luis is dedicated to protecting communities, upholding justice, and ensuring that the law serves all people equally without political bias or favoritism. He is passionate about equal opportunity rooted in merit, and he is determined to be a voice for accountability, discipline, and freedom under the Constitution.
Lucas Brolin
Notre Dame Law School
Lucas Brolin is a rising 3L at Notre Dame Law School. Before studying law, Lucas lived abroad while teaching English as a foreign language, and before then, he studied Criminology and Criminal Justice at his hometown’s college, California Lutheran University. There, he earned his Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, and graduated Valedictorian of his class. At the Law School, Lucas mutually enjoys studying civil law, having worked as a Teaching Assistant for Tort Law, and criminal law, for which he works as a Research Assistant, writes on punishment theory, and does public interest legal work. He founded the Law School’s Jewish Law Students Association and helps represent the Law School’s Office of Admissions as its Lead Ambassador. Lucas’s background and experiences inform his ardent commitment to civil rights and equal opportunity. In his free time, Lucas enjoys tinkering with computers, motorcycles, and engaging with the Notre Dame community.
Nialah Clay
University of Indiana
Nialah Clay is a rising 3L at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Prior to law school, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and African American and African Diaspora Studies, with a focused academic interest in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. During her undergraduate years at Indiana University, Nialah served as an Associate Justice on the Indiana University Supreme Court and held multiple executive roles in the university’s Mock Trial Association. At Maurer, Nialah currently serves as the Executive Advocacy Director for the Advocacy Board. Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, she enjoys practicing pottery and actively volunteers with the youth ministry at her local church. Following law school, Nialah plans to pursue a career in nonprofit and church law, where she hopes to combine her legal training with her passion for service and community engagement.
Alycia Cooper
Emory University
Alycia Cooper is a rising 2L at Emory University School of Law with a background in education, advocacy, and public service. This summer, she will serve as a law clerk for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, supporting legal and policy research related to economic equity and federal fiscal priorities. In the fall, she will extern for the Honorable Judge Kimberly Adams of the Superior Court of Fulton County, gaining direct exposure to trial court proceedings and judicial decision-making. Prior to law school, Alycia was an English teacher, where she developed the critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills that now shape her approach to legal advocacy. She is committed to advancing civil rights and equity through a legal career centered on public service and systemic change.
Sam Foer
Washington & Lee University
Sam Foer is a rising 2L at Washington & Lee University School of Law. After experiencing pervasive thought-policing, a cultural revolution and identitarian reductionism during his freshman year of college, he committed himself to defending free expression and promoting equality under law. Sam has worked with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, sat on the board of the Rhode Island ACLU, and led several successful free expression advocacy campaigns, all of which inspired him to attend law school. He aspires to found a law firm and policy institute dedicated to addressing and combating cultural and institutional corrosion, discrimination, antisemitism, and promoting the tenets of free and open society. Sam spent summer 2025 in the Civil Rights Prosecution unit at the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.
Louis Galarowicz
National Association of Scholars
Louis Galarowicz is a research fellow at the National Association of Scholars, and legal researcher for Students for Fair Admissions, researching issues related to discrimination in higher education. He received his B.A. in Philosophy and Intellectual History from the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently completing a Masters in Theological Studies at the Pontifical Institute of John Paul II in Washington, D.C. He previously worked in political consulting and classical education.
Braden Krueger
University of Wisconsin
Braeden Krueger is a rising 2L at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Ripon College, where he conducted research on political psychology and voter behavior, presenting at the Midwest Political Science Association’s annual conference. Braeden has interned for two members of the U.S. House of Representatives and has worked on political campaigns in southwest Wisconsin. This summer, he is interning with the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Litigation Center. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, reading, and spending time with family.
Gabriela Peterson
Vermont Law School
Gabriela Peterson is a rising 3L at Vermont Law & Graduate School. Prior to law school, Gabriela earned a B.A., cum laude, in Chemistry and Political Science from Monmouth College. Gabriela is the Co-Founder and President of Vermont Law’s chapter of the Federalist Society, a Head Notes Editor on the Vermont Law Review, a member of the Williams Institute moot court team, Chair of Communications for the Native American Law Students Association, and worked as a Teaching Assistant for four classes. This summer, Gabriela will be a Summer Associate at Bulkley Richardson in Springfield, Massachusetts. Outside of school, Gabriela runs ultramarathons and is a certified venomous snake handler. After law school, Gabriela plans to practice law in New England, where she plans to use the knowledge she gains through the Center for Equal Opportunity Fellowship to foster a welcoming and inclusive practice.
Justin D. Shapiro
University of Miami
Justin D. Shapiro is a rising 2L at the University of Miami School of Law. Prior to law school Mr. Shapiro spent three years working as Governor Ron DeSantis’s speechwriter. Before that he was the research assistant to the editor-in-chief of National Review magazine and continues to work for National Review as a copyeditor and fact-checker. Mr. Shapiro has also worked at a biotech investor relations firm and for a government services management consulting company. He earned a Master’s degree in International Relations from Columbia University and attended Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate with internships at the United Nations and the State Department in between.
Joshua Strickland
University of South Carolina
Joshua Strickland is a rising 3L at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law. Joshua studied at Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina, graduating magna cum laude from the Honors Program with a B.A. in Criminal Justice in 2023. In the summer after his first year of law school, Joshua worked as a law clerk for Callison Tighe and Robinson, a civil litigation firm in Columbia, South Carolina, and as a Research Assistant for Professor Joseph Seiner. Joshua is a member of the Federalist Society, the Christian Legal Society, and serves as a Senior Articles Editor on the South Carolina Law Review. During his second year of law school, he worked as a law clerk for the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee. Before participating in the CEO Fellowship this summer, Joshua will be working as a law clerk for Judicial Watch in Washington, D.C.
