Odalys Fuentes

Manager, Legal Recruitment

Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America

This month WALRAA is proud to shine a spotlight on Odalys Fuentes! Odalys is a Legal Recruitment Manager with the Columbus School of Law, and this is her first year as part of the WALRAA community.  Read more to learn about her favorite career moment, professional goals, and more! 

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?

In October, it will be a year since I became a member of WALRAA.  My favorite experience in WALRAA was the Holiday Party last year.  It was an incredible night where I met career centers from different schools and recruiters from various firms.  Everyone was very welcoming, and I remember chatting with members, and they all had different advice to provide me for this new journey or they spoke to me about their path in the legal field.  After speaking to various members, I felt excited to start my career at the law school.

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?

One of the first things I did in my new role was join this incredible organization.  WALRAA has provided me with a lot of knowledge and the opportunity to meet new people in the legal field.  Through WALRAA, I have been able to learn about topics in the legal field and practices to best guide students.

How did you first learn about and get started in Career Services? 

My interest in career services began in undergrad.  I became a student coordinator in our First-Gen program, Take Flight.  There, I connected with my undergraduate career service office to facilitate career programming for first-gen students.  I applied to my current role because I wanted to continue to explore the side of career services, which led me to the captivating side of legal recruitment.

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?

My favorite part of my career has been working with the OCPD team.  They have taught me so much during the months I have been at the Law School.  The excitement and passion for what they do is contagious.  I enjoy working side by side on projects and celebrating each of our accomplishments as a group.  I couldn’t have asked for a better team to start my legal career with.

What is it that challenges you most in your job?

What challenges me the most is time.  There is always something that I am working on or something new that has popped up throughout the day.  To organize my tasks, I started a work journal.  I write in reminders and create a timeline for a project to finish or edit.  So far, it has helped me stay focused and accomplish tasks in a rewarding way.

How do you balance your career and personal life?

Once I leave the office, I try to disconnect from my emails and not look at my laptop.  This has proven extremely helpful.  There are times when I need to check my email on the weekends or need to work on something, but typically, I do my best to create a boundary.

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?

For this year, I have started working on new programming for our first-year students with my colleague Monica.  It’s a pilot program called Field Trip Fridays and our first destination is to visit the court room of an alumna judge, I am very excited!  Students will have the ability to expand their knowledge in different areas of the law.  I also plan to attend more career and professional development workshops to continue my individual learning.

What is the best professional advice you have received?

You will make mistakes.  It’s not just an opinion or a saying.  It’s definitely a fact.  I have learned in more ways than one that there can be multiple ways to do things.  I have learned not to be too hard on myself.  Mistakes happen but it’s how one responds to them that matters.

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy reading.  I like connecting with my friends about a book they are reading or telling them about what I am currently reading.  I also like to take long walks.  It’s great exercise, and I get to explore my community.  On one of my many walks, I stumbled upon a bookstore.  Now, I am an official member with a new long list of books to buy and hopefully read soon!

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know?

I have presented a mock bill in the New York State Senate Chambers in my high school’s Youth and Government program and my group won “Best Bill.”