Our Students: Edith Fuentes

Since Edith Fuentes was a young girl, she has been inspired by social justice issues. While a student at Westerville South High School, Fuentes was selected to serve a one-year term on the prestigious Teen Ambassador Board of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. For a young teenager fascinated with crime and justice, it was an unparalleled opportunity to engage in government and law.

“I met with Attorney General Mike DeWine and became actively involved in helping draft policies addressing issues that affect teens like the importance of mental health awareness,” said Fuentes. “It gave me an opportunity to learn firsthand about the importance of public service and the critical role that law and policing have on the function of government.”

By the time Fuentes enrolled at Ohio State, she knew what she wanted to accomplish — gain “real-world” experience addressing some of the greatest issues facing our communities, excel academically and seize every opportunity to learn about different cultures and communities. Now in her final year in the Department of Sociology, this first-generation student is well on her way to achieving those goals before she graduates in 2019.

Between her sophomore and junior years, Fuentes studied abroad in Costa Rica. Also, before her senior year she participated in the Race, Revolution and Culture education abroad program in Cuba.

“The experience to study abroad is such a privilege,” said Fuentes. “It’s not only a great opportunity to learn and to travel but to find a little bit of yourself in your expeditions as a student who represents The Ohio State University.”

“Edith has shown herself to be an exceptional student,” said Susan Van Pelt, Fuentes’ academic advisor for the past four years. “She has been recognized with dean’s list distinction each semester, all while working one — sometimes two — part-time jobs and studying abroad. She has impressed me with her work ethic and personal vision.”

Fuentes’ efforts led Van Pelt to recommend her for a coveted spot in the John Glenn Washington Academic Internship Program.

From January 2018 through April 2018, Fuentes interned with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington and focused on criminal cases involving immigration issues. From June to early fall, she worked with the U.S. Department of Transportation, learning the process and mechanics of civil cases while working with attorneys, field specialists and senior executives.

“My experience in Washington, D.C., was incredibly rewarding,” said Fuentes. “As a Mexican-American, working with lawyers on issues around immigration, poverty and race, it was really personal for me.”

Fuentes is back in Columbus for her final year in the Department of Sociology. She has decided to add an economics minor to her plate to expand her focus on issues related to immigration. In addition, she will be traveling to Tijuana, Mexico, for an intense study program on immigration and poverty.

She is contemplating a career in law. Fuentes will tell you that only four percent of the lawyers in the United States are Hispanic, and of that four percent, only one percent are women.

“The odds have never scared me,” she said. “Instead, they motivate me to change history.”