Backpack to Briefcase connects alumni, students, and careers

Backpack to Briefcase: Powered by alumni, designed for students

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A woman sits behind a desk across from a man as they discuss career options. — O’Neill Indianapolis’ Backpack to Briefcase event connects alumni, like Amber Greaney (left), with students to discuss career opportunities, review resumes, and build connections.

Authored by: Victoria Whaley
Edited by: Leslie Wells

To succeed after graduation, students need more than academic knowledge. They need guidance, mentorship, and real-world connections. That’s where O’Neill School alumni can step in. Through O’Neill Indianapolis’ Backpack to Briefcase program, alums can give students the gift of their time, experience, and opportunity. The program, created by O’Neill Indianapolis Career Services Director Stacy Lozer, is one way O’Neill helps bridge the gap between college and career through alumni engagement.

“In my role, I look for multiple ways to impact our students as they work toward their career opportunities,” said Stacy Lozer, director of career services for O’Neill Indianapolis and an alumna of O’Neill’s MPA program. “As an alum, I also know the immense value of my degree and how it helped me navigate my career through many different opportunities.”

Her experience and connections provided the foundation for Backpack to Briefcase.

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New O’Neill School course supports military-connected students

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Leslie Wells

Three women sit at desks in a circle in a military student class — Liz Wager (left) leads an O’Neill class designed for military-connected students. (Photo: Tia Broz)

Written by: Tia Broz and Leslie Wells

Indiana University supports veterans and other military-connected students year-round, through Military-Connected Student Services, scholarships and other resources.

At IU Indianapolis, that includes a new course in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The school is home to 29 students who are veterans, with others who are currently serving in the military.

O’Neill’s SPEA-V 498: Military Student Connections was created by Liz Wager, lecturer of community and organizational leadership studies in the O’Neill School, and Janice Bankert-Countryman, assistant program director of the Center for Transfer and Adult Students.

The course—which is open to any student on campus who is a veteran or service member—provides a space where their voices and experiences are front and center.

“College is hard,” Wager said. “A lot of times, especially for what we used to call ‘non-traditional students,’ just to see that there’s a place for you and seeing yourself in other students is vital.”

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First-Gen Jags: Shaelyn Brickey

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A woman wearing a white sweater is smiling, leaning against a truck. — Criminal Justice major Shaelyn Brickey is a first-generation college student at O’Neill.

Criminal Justice major Shaelyn Brickey had always excelled in high school, both academically and athletically. With her hard work came success, and she had no doubt she could turn that momentum into a rewarding college experience.

“I wanted to continue my education so I would have a larger variety of careers I could go into in the future,” she says. “I also knew I wanted to competitively cheer at a D1 college.”

Shaelyn’s situation was unique—yet, not uncommon. No one in her family had attended college before. She wanted to change that.

“I wanted to stand out in my family,” she says. “I wanted to be the difference and go far. My family had high hopes for me, and they were very supportive of my decision.”

Yet with that optimism came obstacles. First-generation college students often don’t have anyone with experience to help guide them through the process. From applying to selection to finances, they figure it out themselves.

“It was very scary for me to start somewhere that felt so much more important,” she says. “I was scared of the unknown. I was scared of failure.”

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First-Gen Jags: Heather Johnson

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands in front of a window with a building in the background. She's smiling, wearing a blue sweater and necklace. — O’Neill student Heather Johnson is the first in her family to attend college.

From her seat at the front desk in O’Neill’s third-floor office, Public Safety Management major Heather Johnson helps students, answers emails, and gets people where they need to go. Heather is a student employee with O’Neill, and learning each day not only about her major, but also about how higher education functions.

In December 2025, Heather will do what no one else in her family has done: complete a college degree.

“I decided I wanted to attend college to gain more knowledge,” she says.” I always loved learning, and I thought college would help me grow, mentally and financially.”

The O’Neill School at IU Indianapolis is home to 150 first-generation students—nearly 30% of the school—and Heather is one of them. First-gen students are the first in their families to attend college. While that designation carries with it an enormous amount of pride and can change a family’s trajectory forever, it also can include barriers and obstacles other students never face.

Heather says her family was excited for her to attend college, but excitement was all they could provide for support.

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Brandon Sorge: Creating civically engaged communities through leadership and STEM

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A man wearing a red striped polo shirt stands in a hallway smiling. — Associate Professor Brandon Sorge joined the O’Neill School in August 2025.

Brandon Sorge has spent his entire career in education.

He’s taught high school math, worked as a K–12 administrator, and served as the director for the Indiana STEM Resource Network.

That’s when he made a switch to higher education. He’s taught on the Indianapolis campus for years but joined the O’Neill School in August 2025 as part of the school’s Community and Organizational Leadership Studies faculty.

“My research interests and teaching have always aligned with O’Neill, and it has always been somewhere I wanted to end up working,” Sorge admits.

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