Class of 2025 Student Spotlights
Meet some of the students who have made their mark on the Law School
Another impressive group of graduates is preparing to leave our beloved Laird Bell Quadrangle. Here, we highlight some of their achievements:
Michaela Fleischer, ’25: Bringing the Arts to the Law School
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Next stop: Associate at Milbank LLP, New York City, NY
When Michaela Fleischer was a 1L, she felt like something was missing. An English and dance major during her time at Columbia University, she was used to performing at least fifteen hours per week alongside doing her regular coursework. When she became a law student, the loss of a regular creative outlet felt jarring. Fleischer decided to seek out other creatives like her within her class community.
“I deeply appreciated the Law School Musical as a means of connecting with students who loved the arts and performance,” she said, “but I knew that creating even more opportunities for performance would be just as meaningful for new students with a similar background as me, as well as for any law student looking to engage in the arts as a means of stress relief amidst law school overwhelm.”
Fleischer cultivated community among others in her class who shared a love of music and performance, and during her 1L year co-founded a cappella group at the Law School called Case Notes. When Case Notes first launched, it had five members. This year, it’s up to nineteen.
“My class has an overwhelming number of extremely talented vocalists,” said Fliescher. “We ultimately created a new tradition from scratch, which feels incredibly rewarding, especially seeing the new generation of talented law students already so diligently helping the club live on beyond us.”
Fleischer also helped relaunch the Law School Talent Show, a tradition that paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. The revamped show made a splash at the Law School in 2024, showcasing student talents that ranged from slam poetry to stand-up comedy to classical ballet routines. On top of all of this, Fleischer co-directed the Law School’s 2025 Musical, The Legal Mermaid.
“My experience in the performing arts has not only instilled a personal sense of discipline and honed by abilities in goal setting but also has been foundational to my connection with like-minded students at the Law School,” reflected Fleischer, who will kick off her legal career in Milbank’s transactional rotation program after graduation.
Fleischer’s words of wisdom to incoming 1Ls: “Do not be afraid to fully accept yourself in law school. Even though the environment is new, each member of the class contributes a unique background, personality, and set of previous experiences that will always contribute to the Law School community. Success does not look the same for everyone—your job is to find the path that is best for you.”
Sam Oh, JD/MBA ’25: Leading the Charge for Fellow Students
Hometown: Kildeer, IL
Next stop: Law Clerk & AI Specialist at Avantech Law, Chicago, IL
Sam Oh arrived at the Law School with a background in computer science and philosophy, which he studied as an undergraduate at Harvard. Sharing why he decided to pursue the law, he said: “Law school seemed like a natural way to sharpen my critical thinking skills and a nice change of pace from my previous role as a software engineer.”
Oh didn’t realize it at the time, but law school would also help build his leadership skills. Over the last three years, Oh embraced the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the student experience at the Law School, inspired by connections he was making with classmates. He didn’t initially expect to get involved in student government, he said, but slowly realizing the difference he could make, he decided to go for it. Oh served as president of the Law Students Association (LSA) and as co-president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
As LSA president, Oh created a new system for allocating LSA funds to student organizations, making the process fairer and more transparent for all parties involved. He also successfully advocated for more flexible food ordering options for lunch talks.
“I really enjoyed getting to help shape the culture and future of the school,” he said. “These roles gave me a lens into leading a team, building community, and serving others, and taught me a lot about collaboration and responsibility. I tried really hard to serve my classmates and advocate for our collective needs; I gave it my best effort.”
Reflecting on significant moments at the Law School, Oh recalled sitting next to Professor Emily Buss during the New Students Dinner as a 1L, and then again three years later at the Graduating Students Dinner. “Sitting next to Prof. Buss during these two milestone dinners represented such a full-circle moment,” he said. “It really brought home how formative these three years have been.”
Starting in the fall, Oh will be joining Avantech Law, a technology law firm with a focus on AI and litigation. “I'm excited to build on my past experiences as a software engineer by building AI tools for litigation and to get early, practical experience as a trial attorney. It feels like the ideal mix of my past experiences and future goals.”
Oh has this advice to share with incoming 1Ls: “Be kind to your classmates and enjoy your time in law school! It goes by fast.”
Denita Kiya, ’25: Giving Back to Community
Hometown: Santa Monica, CA
Next stop: Associate at Jones Day, Los Angeles, CA
“It was really important to me, when choosing UChicago, that I learned about the South Side community I was moving into,” said Denita Kiya. “For me, that looked like developing relationships with my neighbors and spending time investing in my neighborhood.”
During her time at the Law School, Kiya did just that. As a 1L, she dove right into the student organization, Impact Initiative, which focuses on developing relationships between the Law School and Chicago’s South Side communities through community service and pro-bono activities. In her 2L year, she became president of the group and helped organize a community service project with Woodlawn Botanical Nature Center, located steps away from the Laird Bell Quadrangle.
“It was important to me that we teach our fellow law students that community service is central to our careers as advocates, especially because we are often tasked with advocating for underserved communities,” said Kiya. “I also felt strongly about supporting the geographical area that the Law School is located in, especially because the area is underserved and underfunded.”
Kiya pursued law school for two reasons: she wanted to build a career where she could apply “world-building” ideas, and she wanted to experience intellectual rigor and be challenged in a meaningful way.
Now, Kiya says she is leaving the Law School with more questions than answers—but also with an expanded curiosity and drive for knowledge.
“Thinking about my time here, I am most proud of showing up,” she reflected. “I am a first-generation college and law student, an immigrant, and a child of political refugees. I am proud that I believed both in my abilities and that I deserved to be at a prestigious institution like UChicago Law.”
Kiya is moving back to her home state of California after graduation to work at Jones Day. “I hope to continue developing strategic and analytical skills, to follow my curiosity, and to give back to my community always.” she said.
Kiya’s advice to 1Ls: “You will always have more work waiting for you, so you must make the decision every day to take care of yourself—both emotionally and physically!”
Flavio Umeda Pacheco, JD/MBA ’25: Launching a Biotech Startup
Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil
Next stop: Chief of Staff and In-House Counsel, Alnair Therapeutics, Chicago, IL
Flavio Umeda Pacheco’s first year at the Law School was marked by an exciting venture in biotechnology. During his first quarter, he joined a startup accelerator program called Nucleate, which matches JD and MBA students with scientists to work on a biotech project.
Pacheco was matched with UChicago Professor Xiaoyang Wu, whose cancer research created the basis for breakthrough cancer treatment technology at a startup called Alnair Therapeutics. Pacheco jumped headfirst into helping Wu commercialize the technology, which involved a novel method for delivering cancer therapeutics in a way that could potentially eliminate chemotherapy side effects. Pacheco became a “jack of all trades” for Alnair, helping with pitch decks, legal issues, IP strategy, and product management, and leveraging his legal education to navigate regulatory arenas.
Later that year, Pacheco’s efforts gave way to Alnair winning Chicago Booth’s Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge (NVC) Award in June 2023.
“This was an incredible milestone for our team, giving us the momentum necessary to raise a $1.1 million pre-seed equity investment,” said Pacheco. “It was tough to navigate NVC while managing my 1L spring obligations, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was a great capstone for my first year of law school.”
Since then, Pacheco has been working at Alnair part-time, helping to further develop the company and its mission. “The Law School taught me how to think like a lawyer—how to think critically through a lot of nuance. It helped me in navigating our legal and business challenges with more agility and confidence,” he said.
Though Alnair and the JD/MBA program have kept Pacheco more than busy, he still managed to get involved in the Law School as a communications chair for the Law Students Association and as a professional development chair for the Latino Law Students Association. All these experiences combined, he said, have contributed to his having a rich Law School experience, guiding him to his dream of “making a difference through commercializing innovation.”
Deferring his offer at Gibson Dunn in New York City, Pacheco will join Alnair Therapeutics full-time in August as chief of staff and in-house counsel. “I hope to make cancer history!” he said.
As for his advice to incoming 1Ls: “Enjoy these next few years to not only learn the law but also build long-lasting friendships.”
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Class of 2025—we can’t wait to see what you do next.