When Sarah Price visited IU Indianapolis, she initially wasn’t planning on attending the O’Neill School. She wanted to do something in the nonprofit sector and was intending to enroll with another school. But on her campus visit, she also toured O’Neill and realized it was a better fit for her interests.
“In particular, I loved that the Civic Leadership program offered an interdisciplinary education, while also providing more of an emphasis on policy studies than I had found in similar programs at other universities,” she recalls.
She made the change and began her career with the O’Neill School shortly after that visit. Since then, Price has made a name for herself in the classroom and on campus, even earning a spot among the university’s Top 100 undergraduates in 2024. Now, as she prepares to finish her bachelor’s degree, she has a new accolade to add to the list.
This year, Price was named the O’Neill School’s Chancellor’s Scholar—an honor that goes to the undergraduate student with the highest GPA among each school’s graduating class.
“I excitedly shared the news with my coworker next to me and then called my Dad,” she says. “I felt really proud to have my hard work recognized in this way.”
While she was excited to have earned the top spot at O’Neill, Price admits it hasn’t always been easy. But she found ways to stay connected to her schooling while ensuring it wasn’t her only focus.
“I tried to maintain balance in my life and not let being a student encompass all my time and my identity,” she says. “I’ve been really intentional about always working on something I cared about outside of school.”
Her projects ranged from working on community events and afterschool programs to addressing food justice and working with young adults experiencing homelessness.
“Having that sense of purpose and being involved in something greater than myself definitely helped me to stay motivated,” she explains.
As a Civic Leadership major, Price says having purpose-driven projects fulfilled her desire to make a difference while supporting what she was learning in the classroom.
“Public affairs students go on to lead nonprofits, government agencies, and other organizations that play crucial roles in society,” she says. “When you are dealing with issues like housing justice, child welfare, mental health, and human rights, these issues deserve to be addressed with thoughtfulness and expertise.”
She says doing that requires people working in those fields to not only have life or on-the-job experience, but also to have an understanding of research-based solutions and best practices. Price says O’Neill has taught her how to consider policies from various perspectives, understand complex systems, lead organizations, and affect change.
“I have had a great experience at O’Neill and would definitely encourage someone to consider studying public affairs if that aligns with their interests,” she says. “But more than anything my advice is that you can make a difference in any sector of work, so follow your passions and figure out what path fits your interests, gifts, and passion.”
