Photo credit: Derrick Brownie
For RaeVen Ridgell, civic engagement is both a way of life and a wonderful obligation.
“I think it’s important for us to get involved because it’s our duty as members of society,” she explains. “This is our community, our state, our country, and our world. We cannot wait for others to save it; we have to be the guiding force.”
In her refusal to wait for someone else to create change, Ridgell came to the O’Neill School to pursue her Master of Public Affairs.
“I heard so much about the program and knew that many of the people that I look up to went through the program,” she recalls. “I wanted to challenge myself and become a better leader and I knew this was the program to do it.”
Ridgell is focusing her MPA on Innovation and Social Change—something she’s been putting in the work to do for years.
As a teen, she helped raise money for Haiti. In college, she’s organized events on campus as a student leader. She’s worked in legislative relations across the nation, including serving as the executive director of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus for a time.
That level of service captured the attention of university leaders at IUPUI. Ridgell was selected as a recipient of the William M. Plater Civic Engagement Medallion, an honor bestowed upon students who go above and beyond in their commitment to community.
For Ridgell, receiving the medallion was affirmation of her long-standing track record of giving back.
“I cried a bit when I found out I was chosen,” she admits. “To be a Black woman in the space of government affairs means that often, I am overlooked. I don’t do it for the recognition. I do it because it has to be done. But many people have taken credit for my work and this was nice to step out in front and say, ‘Hey, I’m not new to this, I’m true to this.’”
And she intends to stay true to her dedication to community improvement. She points out that the projects she’s worked on were a reminder that while as progress has been made, there is still much more work to be done.
And she knows she can’t do it alone. That’s why she’s encouraging other students to get involved now to help create a better tomorrow.
Her advice to others?
“Start by asking yourself, ‘What do I want the world to look like?’”
From there, she says students should identify their passion area, whether that be in sustainability, criminal justice, educational reform, or another area.
“Find a program or organization that is doing the work you’re interested in and contact them,” she adds, but with an additional promise: “If you can’t find anyone, email me and we’ll make our own way.”
That level of support is what makes the O’Neill network so strong and unique. Ridgell also knows it’s what changes the world for communities and individuals alike.
She stresses services isn’t a one-way street. The decision to be involved in changing her community and her world has changed her as well.
“Civic engagement has made me deeply compassionate and empathic,” she explains. “These tools make me a better servant and more open to listening for ways to improve society and not just to be in front of society. It’s influenced the career path I have and the educational path that I have chosen. I am a better person because of the space that I was raised in and have championed for myself.”
As for her own future, Ridgell says she’s considering returning to school for another degree at some point. But for the present moment, she’s working to find a job that will allow her to make an impact.
“I’ve been very fortunate to work in spaces that allow that, but now I’m thinking bigger, much bigger.”
