MLS Class of 2019: Ryuu Uchiha Has “Supreme” Career Goals
Hometown: Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico and Okinawa and Kyoto, Japan
Undergraduate Institution: University of Arizona
Major: Law and Political Science
Involved in: Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) – Pre-Law Fraternity, University of Arizona Transfer Student Advisory Board, PI Sigma Alpha - Honor Society for Political Science, University of Arizona Honors College, Tau Sigma – Honors Transfer Club, Asian Pacific American Student Alliance and Arizona Asian American Bar Association
Ryuu Uchiha always knew he wanted to work in the legal field, and after earning two degrees from University of Arizona Law, he now has his sights set on the country’s most powerful court.
Uchiha’s legal education journey began by excelling in a few legal courses in community college. He then transferred to the University of Arizona and double majored in law and political science, graduating summa cum laude in 2018.
Uchiha says he knew law school would be a huge step and commitment, so he wanted to make sure earning a JD would be the right decision for him. To help get a stronger foundation in law, he entered the accelerated Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program, which allows qualifying BA in Law students to earn an MLS in just one additional semester.
“The MLS degree gave me higher-level courses, legal training and a snapshot of a lawyer’s daily life,” says Uchiha, who was voted by his classmates to be a student speaker at Arizona Law’s convocation ceremony. “My enjoyment of the degree confirmed I wanted to practice law for a living.”
Uchiha’s family is multilingual and a blend of Mexican, Brazilian and Japanese ethnicities, and he spent time growing up in Mexico and Japan, which he says has influenced his approach to his studies and reading of the law.
"My main interests as a student have always been languages, culture and the law," says Uchiha.
He is particularly interested in how public policy and court cases intersect and is intrigued by debates over textualist and contextualist readings of the law.
Uchiha says some of his most memorable moments as an MLS student have been writing his first legal memo and being able to grasp how cases come together.
He says he will miss the “welcoming, warm and diverse environment” at Arizona Law.
"Attending Arizona Law, you notice the difference between simply attending a school you got into and learning in an environment where you feel welcomed and cared about,” Uchiha says. “The opportunities and mentorship provided at Arizona Law are things that can't be bought or found elsewhere."
Uchiha credits professors Andrew Coan, Jingyuan "Joey" Zhou and law fellows Derek Kauanoe and Sidner Larson for better preparing him for his next steps in education and ultimately his career.
“Professor Coan taught me professional skills, Professor Kauanoe taught me interview, interpersonal, and everyday skills, Professor Larson gave me practical advice and taught me how everything fits together, and Professor Zhou taught me how to legally analyze and write,” he explains.
Uchiha plans to earn his JD and eventually an SJD, with the goal of one day becoming a law professor and a judge.
But his plans don’t end there. Uchiha’s ultimate goal: filling one of the nine U.S. Supreme Court seats.