Devin Ordich
The Master’s in Law, Justice & Culture has 19 students, both online and on campus, who are learning about law and society studies.
Devin Ordich ’18 is an Ohio University alumna, having earned a B.S. in Forensic Chemistry from the College of Arts & Sciences. As an undergraduate student, she explored her interests in the law.
Ordich always knew she wanted to work to help shape the criminal justice system, but upon discovering her interest in science, opted to take a non-traditional route. Ordich decided she would help shape the legal field by becoming a forensic chemist.
The realization that she wanted to work within forensic policies and procedures came during her undergraduate career, when taking a forensic biology course that exposed the faults in our criminal justice system.
“I became compelled to correct the errors within the criminal justice system by exonerating wrongly convicted individuals and reforming policies to prevent future injustices,” Ordich says. “I felt a strong connection with this work and knew that my knowledge and practical abilities in forensic sciences, as well as my passion for law, could come together in a career working to reform forensic policies and standardize forensic procedures.”
After obtaining her forensic chemistry degree, as well as a minor in anthropology, Ordich realized her time exploring law, justice and culture wasn’t quite over and decided to enroll in the program.
“With this program, I could expand my knowledge of law in relation to society, culture, politics, and power, and develop a unique skill set for critical analysis of legal and social justice issues. Additionally, the opportunity to network with many important people and organizations, like the Ohio Innocence Project, was undeniably attractive to me.”
Ordich is grateful for the chance to learn in different ways than she did in her undergraduate career.
“Up until now, I spent a very long time studying the world around us through a physical science lens, and everything was so black and white. A social science perspective helps me see things in a new and exciting light, which I think is really important to be a better scholar, scientist, and person,” she says.
Part of this social science focus came Ordich’s favorite course from the program, Legal Theory and Social Problems with Dr. Susan Burgess, Distinguished Professor and Undergraduate Director.
“I was a little apprehensive coming into a graduate level course in an unfamiliar subject, but Dr. Burgess has been incredibly helpful along the way. She has treated me as a really wonderful asset to the class because of my unique background and I am very grateful for that,” she says.
Ordich is looking forward to the opportunities that will come in the spring semester, including several courses and a trip abroad, “I’m spending spring break studying abroad in Northern Ireland in the Human Rights, Law, and Justice course. This will be my first experience abroad, and I’m very excited to learn about a new culture, their struggles, and their attempts at restoring peace.”
Overall, Ordich is excited for her future in forensics and is grateful for the experience that this program has given her. In the future, Ordich plans to rectify issues regarding forensics in the law, specifically by working with organizations that exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals, in order to truly expand upon her passions for human rights and social change.
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