10 Within 10 Recognition

College: College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

As an associate attorney at Chartier & Nyamfukudza PLC, a criminal defense law firm, Marisa represents a broad array of clients on matters ranging from misdemeanors and felonies to expungement. Her firm is a top-tier criminal defense law firm working on cases with national notoriety and supporting a robust pro bono practice exonerating people who were wrongly convicted.

Marisa has earned several awards for her work, including being named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Up & Coming Lawyers list and Ingham County Bar Association’s Top 5 Under 35. She has volunteered at four expungement fairs after the new Clean Slate Act passed in 2021, providing opportunities for members of the community who could not afford an attorney to get advice and help prepare to get their convictions set aside.

During her time at Central, Marisa was a leader in multiple spaces across campus, including serving as the president of the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta, leading research as a Centralis Scholar, and serving the community as the Legal Clinic director for the Student Government Association.

Marisa has returned to CMU to speak to the members of Phi Alpha Delta, sharing her experiences in law school, as well as helpful tips for the students. She also has done informal mentoring of students who were interested in going to law school in the future.