Devin Ordich
Editor’s Note: The Happy Beginnings series features recent College of Arts & Sciences graduates who are getting started in careers, graduate school and service.
Ohio University alum Devin Ordich ’18, ’19M is putting her interests in forensics and justice to work in election campaign finance at a law firm in Columbus.
While she was an undergraduate student at OHIO, Ordich majored in Forensic Chemistry with a focus in Toxicology, as well as a minor in Anthropology, concentrating in biological and forensic anthropology.
It was during her undergraduate career that she became aware of the integrated wrongdoings of the criminal justice system
“I became interested in a career that would allow me to work at correcting these injustices and to really help people,” Ordich said. “I decided to pursue the M.A. in Law, Justice & Culture program to both build upon my existing understanding of the criminal justice system and to bridge the gap in my background between science and law.” She graduated with her M.A. in May 2019 from the College of Arts & Sciences at OHIO.
Currently, Ordich serves as Compliance & Account Manager at McTigue and Colombo, LLC, an election law firm in downtown Columbus, Ohio. There, she is part of the firm’s campaign finance team where she does auditing related to bank activity for over 30 clients, generating campaign finance reports and helping to ensure compliance with campaign finance laws.
“I work with politicians, PACs and other political entities at the federal, state, and local levels. It’s a very different side of law than I’ve been previously used to, but I’ve been enjoying the work and my wonderful team,” she said.
Ordich is utilizing what she learned during her M.A. program in her current work by using skills she learned in the program such as legal writing and comprehension. She also found her Legal Theory course to be useful when she discusses work with some of her clients.
“I feel like I’ve managed to carry with me an awareness of a lot of the inner workings of society and law that I learned throughout the program in my day to day work,” she said.
Innocence Project Internship and Ireland Study Abroad
Two of her favorite experiences during the M.A. program were her internship with the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and Dr. Haley Duschinski’s Human Rights, Law & Justice in Northern Ireland course.
“At the Ohio Innocence Project, I worked closely with amazing attorneys to analyze ‘bad’ forensics in some of their clients’ cases, as well as the opportunity to do some legal research related to forensics,” Ordich said.
During her final semester, she studied abroad over spring break in Northern Ireland.
“The people we met and the experiences we had have a had a lasting impression on the way I look at law and culture, and my overall understanding of how the law can ultimately fail those who appeal to it,” she reflected.
For students who are considering the M.A. program, Ordich encourages you to meet with a CLJC adviser to learn more about the program.
“There is a way to create something that has both yours and the program’s values at the core. The staff can provide you with guidance on how to be successful in the program and they make the process feel very accessible.” Ordich is grateful for her time in the program and the amazing opportunities it afforded her.
“I feel very lucky to have been a part of the very first cohort and help pave the way for so many students. I can’t wait to see how the program grows and how successful it has the potential to become. I’m very thankful to Dr. Haley Duschinski and CLJC Pre-Law Specialist Larry Hayman, Esq. for their guidance both during the program and after.”
The M.A. in Law, Justice & Culture can be earned either on-campus or completely online.
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