Julie Walas-Huynh: iSchool mentor marks decade of coaching Otto the Orange

Julie Walas Huynh is in the middle of a sentence when her phone goes off. She pauses, and looks down at the screen.

“Sorry,” she says, picking up the phone and checking the contents of the message. “It’s Otto stuff. They’re making videos and posts about Earth Day this weekend.”

Walas types out a quick reply, then, with the same fluid efficiency, jumps right back into the present moment. She juggles a lot — between her position as the director of student engagement at the School of Information Studies and head coach of the Syracuse University mascot program, Walas is constantly managing content not only for herself and her advisees, but for Otto the Orange, as well.

“Otto’s one of the biggest brands at Syracuse University and brand management is insane in a digital world. Otto’s social media presence is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re constantly producing content for him,” Walas said.

And Walas knows more than anyone how best to organize the world of the Orange as a graduate, long-time employee of Syracuse University and a former Otto. This is Walas’ 10th season coaching the mascot program, something she calls “one of the greatest privileges” of her life.

Coaching mascots — especially those at a Division I universities — need to invest in the lives of students, being a part of who they are and how they develop, Walas said. On top of that, along with the help of the 10 students currently acting as Otto, Walas manages Otto’s social media presence, schedule and the mascot team’s relationship with the athletics department. She also answers emails to Otto’s account — otto@syr.edu.

“I don’t coach students in the same way that John Desko and Jim Boeheim do, where they stand on the sidelines and call plays. It’s very different,” Walas said.

Isaac Clark, a senior marketing management and finance double major who has worked with Walas throughout his two-and-a-half-year tenure as Otto, said Walas is the perfect person to lead the mascot team.

“Julie is one of the strongest leaders I’ve ever encountered. She has such great vision, such great intuition, and is so personable and understands how to deal with college students in a way that allows us to grow and become better students and better people,” Clark said.

Not only does Clark hold Julie’s experienced opinion in the highest esteem, but he said her level of commitment to SU is one that motivates him constantly.

“She is one of the greatest students Syracuse University has ever witnessed. She was extremely involved, extremely passionate about our school, and that’s what I strive to be as a student — to be as engaged as she was,” he said. “To have that passion for our university and that inspires me every day.”

Beyond Manley Field House or the Carrier Dome, Walas holds another coaching position — one that involves advising and engaging iSchool students while they are at Syracuse, and motivating them for their lives after graduation.

She said her favorite way to interact with students is through the iSchool’s student organizations. Walas runs the peer mentor program and oversees the Senior Squad, a team in charge of bringing the graduating iSchool class together.

“My goal is really to help bring students into the thought process of ‘What is my future going to be?’ by introducing them to the people who have gone before them,” Walas said.

Connecting past, current and future students is of the utmost importance to Walas in her advising role. She spends a large portion of her time planning immersion trips and excursions for current students to help facilitate those relationships.

“You just see her face light up when she gets to see students that she’s been able to influence interact with each other,” said Megan Minier, a senior information management and technology major who has worked closely with Walas for four years. “She will go above and beyond to connect those students and those people and try to make it a beneficial interaction for everyone.”

When Minier injured her knee prior to a spring break trip with the iSchool, she was devastated. She was confined to a wheelchair, and worried that visiting 25 tech companies in five days would be too difficult. So she talked to Walas.

“She was like, ‘You need to go on this trip. You were meant to go on this trip. We will make it work. I’ll do anything I can, just don’t worry,’” Minier said.

And when the time came, Walas was there for Minier the entire trip, pushing her wheelchair and ensuring accessibility at each of the companies. Minier said the trip changed her life.

John Liddy, director of the Syracuse Student Sandbox, a start-up advisory program, and someone who works closely with the iSchool immersion programs, said Julie has knack for leveling with the students she oversees.

“I think what sets her apart is really that passion that she has for the students,” Liddy said. “When we’re talking about an experience, it’s not, ‘Hey, is it best for us to get in and out of one company?’ it is, ‘What is the student going to come away with?’”

Liddy added that Walas embodies the fact that “we’re all in it together.” Whether alumnus or student, the Orange bond is forever.

“I fell in love with Syracuse because that people have a genuine and authentic spirit and I think that’s still true,” Walas said. “That authenticity of who we are and what we’re about is really unique and captivating in a way.”

Banner photo by Frankie Prijatel | Staff Photographer