In the summer of her senior year, third-year law student Kylie Prieto chose to participate in the University of Miami's Summer Scholar programs for high school students, focusing on the law track. Those three transformative weeks changed her perspective and shaped her future.
"Attending the Summer Scholars Program during high school was extremely influential in my desire to attend the University of Miami for undergrad, and then continuing into my law degree at the School of Law," said Prieto, who hails from Chicago. "Through this program, I was able to take classes for three weeks and earn six college credits. I was truly grateful to have Jessi Tamayo as my professor for this program. It has been such a full-circle experience to now have Jessi as my professor again, but this time as a law student! She taught my Professional Responsibility course last spring and now directs the Externship program, which I am a part of this semester."
After high school, Prieto knew she wanted to attend the University of Miami for her undergraduate career and Miami Law for her legal education.
"Luckily, UM offers a 3+3 joint degree in law for undergraduates, where, after completing your undergraduate requirements in three years and following the law school's admissions requirements, I could additionally complete my law degree at the School of Law, all within six years," said Prieto. "I was extremely grateful to have been accepted into this program and to have experienced both the Summer Scholars program and the 3+3 joint degree in law for undergraduates."
While at Miami Law, Prieto has been involved with several student organizations, including the Fashion Law Society, where she serves on the executive board; the Entertainment and Sports Law Society, where she's a 3L representative; the Business Law Society; and the Cuban American Bar Association.
She also participated in the Counseling Creators Negotiation competition in March 2024. "Alongside my wonderful team members, we had the chance to represent various influencers, brands, artists, and fashion companies in mock negotiations for a brand partnership," said Prieto. "This was my first negotiation competition, and I can't wait to participate in it again this year."
This semester, Prieto is externing at the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Miami, which assesses, protects, and commercializes UM-owned innovations through licensing to startups and established companies. Her role there has involved drafting various Intellectual property agreements, including Material Transfer Agreements and Confidential Disclosure Agreements, performing patentability analysis and patent and literature searches, compiling summaries on technologies for marketing, and assisting in other docketing and database management activities.
"This externship has taught me so much about the stages of the commercialization process," said Prieto. "Since UM is known for its amazing research opportunities and innovative faculty, it also has exposed me to various aspects of the research process from start to finish and how innovations are licensed out for continued research or commercialization."
Her supervisor at the Office of Technology Transfer is Miami Law alumna Tiffany-Ashley Disney, a licensing associate.
"As a Miami Law alumna, it has been my extreme honor and privilege to relaunch the extern program with the Office of Technology Transfer," said Disney, J.D. '16. "The best experiences I had in law school were the hands-on learning experiences I had through my externships and clinics. Now, I get to give law students opportunities like I had. Kylie is the third extern that I have been able to place."
Prieto has felt fortunate to have Disney as her supervisor.
"Tiffany-Ashley has been an incredible mentor," said Prieto. "Not only does she go above and beyond to provide me feedback on my assignments at my externship, but she also understands the power of networking and supporting students. She has been so supportive in my last year of law school, and I am so lucky to have a mentor who understands what it is like to attend the School of Law."
Prieto looks forward to beginning her legal career once she graduates in May.
"I hope to have a career in corporate transactional work," said Prieto. "My externship has exposed me to working in the area of intellectual property as well, which I hope to find myself engaged with in my future roles. Although I do not have a job lined up post-graduation just yet, I am exploring both in-house and law firm associate roles."
Read more about Miami Law’s Externship Program.