When life’s uncertainty leads to a new path.
On January 2, 1997, Mike Odioso ’99 slipped into Mass at St. Jude the Apostle Parish, quietly noting the irony: St. Jude, after all, is the patron saint of lost causes. At the time, Odioso was a husband, father, and practicing lawyer who had worked for years in politics. But something wasn’t right.
“I gave law practice a shot, did a lot of great work, but at some point it felt like it wasn’t my long-term career,” he recalls. “My first daughter was born with autism, and the practice of law was difficult. It was time-consuming and unpredictable. Looking at my own personality, I was a worrywart, and it wasn’t a fit. It wasn’t what God wanted me to do at that time.”
After Mass that morning, Odioso felt an immediate calling to go to the Mount, unsure if the campus was still closed for the holiday season. But it was open. He walked to the Department of Education, knocked on the glass, and to his surprise, the director was there.
That same day, he left the department office as an official student enrolled in the Master of Education program, working toward his teaching certificate and a renewed sense of purpose.
Another moment of providence followed soon after. While pursuing his degree at the Mount, Odioso stopped by his high school alma mater, St. Xavier, to leave a résumé with his former football coach.
“I told him I was making a career change away from law and asked if there were any openings,” Odioso says. “He looked at me and said, ‘Mike, you won’t believe this, but 10 minutes ago our freshman line coach told me he wasn’t coming back next year. Do you want the job?’”
Alongside coaching, the school needed someone to teach world cultures, and after a successful conversation with the principal, Odioso was hired.
What began as a leap of faith became a 30-year vocation. At St. Xavier, Odioso taught, served as dean of discipline, coached football to a state championship, and guided the debate team to its own state title.
“I was able to teach what I love, which is history and social studies, and turn my Mount experience into a great career that God wanted me to do,” he says.
But his daughter, Audrey, remained at the heart of his calling. When she moved into Safe Haven Farms, a community of choice for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, her Medicaid eligibility was threatened. Odioso, who had left politics for decades, reactivated his law license and became one of the leaders of a successful parent coalition that fought to protect services.
“It felt right,” he recalls.
The following year, Audrey tragically passed away from an undiagnosed heart disease. Her loss deepened his resolve to advocate for families of individuals with developmental disabilities. In 2024, he was elected to represent Ohio’s 30th House District in western Hamilton County.
His decades in education prepared him well for politics.
“Whenever I have to speak persuasively and publicly at events, those years as a teacher—five times a day, every day—gave me the skillset,” he says.
He also credits his teaching experience for heightened empathy.
“There’s a lot going on in students’ lives that’s not academic-related and very serious,” he says. “I’ve tried to read people’s minds, and I can’t—but I do try to take a shot at what’s going on in their heads.”
Today, he brings that perspective to his work at the statehouse. “I want to make a difference with the Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DDID) community, and I believe in good government policy that first and foremost serves all constituents in the district and considers the state as a whole.”
For students who are unsure or question their own path forward, Odioso’s advice is simple but hard-won.
“Pray about it,” he says. “I have found that it really does work for me. I’ve gotten answers, sometimes not the ones I wanted. But I’ve learned to have faith. Examine what makes you tick as a student, a person, a friend, a daughter, son, sister, or brother. Volunteer, be an intern, and then you’ll find out what makes you, you, and what God wants you to do.”
Looking back, Odioso is deeply grateful for the role the University played in his journey.
“I’m eternally grateful to Mt. St. Joe,” he says. “I’m so happy with how the University is right now in terms of its growth, its programs, and its financial health. I’m a big fan, and I keep [the University] in the back of my mind when I’m up in the statehouse.”