Ainsley Wright: Top 100 of 2024

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands in a hallway smiling wearing a green and cream sweater — O’Neill Environmental Policy and Sustainability major Ainsley Wright was named among IUPUI’s Top 100 undergraduate students of 2024.

Ainsley Wright started out studying environmental science at IUPUI. But it only took her first sustainability class for her to realize she needed to make a change.

She soon transferred to the O’Neill School and changed her major to Environmental Policy and Sustainability.

“The O’Neill School allowed me to study the interactions between humans and our environment and to focus more on community engagement as a solution to climate change,” she says.

Wright’s work—and work ethic—caught the attention of the university. Each year, IUPUI selects 100 outstanding undergrads who demonstrate academic excellence, campus leadership, and community engagement. Wright made the list for 2024.

“Learning I was named to the Top 100 was really exciting,” Wright says. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, but it is always nice to be rewarded for all the hard work I have done. It was a moment to take a deep breath and allow myself to take pride in where I am and all that I’ve achieved, but also to stop and reflect on the privilege it has been to attend college at IUPUI.”

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Lance Varnell: Top 100 of 2024

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A man with a goatee stands in front of a wall smiling — O’Neill Sustainability Practice and Policy major Lance Varnell was named among IUPUI’s Top 100 undergraduate students.

Lance Varnell is no stranger to taking on a challenge. His dedicated work ethic has been evident from the moment he arrived at O’Neill in 2022, a transfer student who first completed his associate’s degree at Ivy Tech. It wasn’t long after arriving that another opportunity within O’Neill caught the Sustainability Practice and Policy major’s attention: the Accelerated Master’s Program.

Varnell opted to add a degree to his time with O’Neill and pursue his MPA. While the decision to join the Accelerated Master’s Program tacked on additional time and courses to his O’Neill degree path, Varnell wasn’t deterred.

“My advisor informed me about the accelerated option early in our conversations about my path,” he recalls. “This option seemed like a good fit for me. I talked to several people about the merit of having a graduate degree and what types of advantages it would provide after school. Based on that overall message, I decided to include the accelerated program as part of my academic route.”

Varnell’s commitment to his education and his academic work didn’t go unnoticed. The university recently selected him as one of its Top 100 undergraduates of 2024. Each year, IUPUI selects 100 outstanding undergrads who demonstrate academic excellence, campus leadership, and community engagement.

That high standard is why Varnell says it was so gratifying to learn he had received such an honor.

“There is a great amount of time spent working alone on the tasks that make up any given course,” he says. “This recognition reminds me that I am a part of something bigger than myself. This is not about my success alone. Representing the blindness community is more important than any personal accolade.”

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Faith Odiete: Accolades roll in for O’Neill Criminal Justice major

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman in a black shirt stands holding a gold medal. — O’Neill Criminal Justice major Faith Odiete was named among IUPUI’s Top 100 and Premiere 10 of 2024. She also was selected as O’Neill’s Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice, a Plater Medallion recipient, and as the 2024 Commencement speaker for IUPUI. Photo credit: Derrick Brownie

A legacy of leadership has led Faith Odiete to where she is today. Her father was a member of the Nigerian Police Force and tragically lost his life while on duty. But his life’s mission never left his daughter, even after she and her mother relocated to the United States following his death.

Odiete is the first in her family to serve in the military and is a Criminal Justice major with O’Neill. She’ll be commissioned into the U.S. Army the same day she receives her O’Neill degree.

But she didn’t stop there. Odiete is planning to take her education further and has already enrolled in O’Neill’s graduate program to pursue her MPA in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Her track record of academic excellence, community engagement, and campus leadership set her up to add more honors to her ever-growing list of accolades. She’s been names O’Neill’s Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice, IUPUI’s 2024 Commencement undergraduate student speaker, a Plater Medallion recipient, a member of IUPUI’s Top 100 undergraduate students, and one of the Premiere 10 undergrads at the university.

“Learning that I earned a spot in the IUPUI Top 100 this year was an incredibly gratifying moment,” she says. “It affirmed the hard work and dedication I’ve put into my academics and extracurricular activities, and it was an honor to be recognized among such a talented and diverse group of students.”

As a Plater Medallion recipient, Odiete was recognized for her service in the Dream Alive program, where she tutors and mentors seventh and eighth grade students in an after-school program. The students live in marginalized, high-risk communities.

“While academic achievements are certainly valuable and demonstrate my intellectual prowess, being recognized for community service feels more personally fulfilling,” she admits. “It’s a validation of the impact I’ve been able to make beyond the classroom, directly touching the lives of others and contributing positively to my community. It celebrates empathy, compassion, and my dedication to making a tangible difference in the world.”

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O’Neill to bridge sustainability skills gap with Greenhouse Gas Accounting course

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A person sits at a computer typing while pop-ups of images of CO2, targets, windmills, and a recycle sign hover above their hands

The O’Neill School in Indianapolis is preparing to offer a new course aimed at helping sustainability students and professionals alike. Greenhouse Gas Accounting will focus on teaching students how to help organizations measure their emissions impact and create a plan to address it. IU’s Associate Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Jessica Davis works as an adjunct faculty member at O’Neill Indianapolis. She’ll lead the course set to begin in fall of 2024.

She came up with the idea after looking at the overall curriculum available and seeing what skillsets students would need to be successful after graduation. That’s when she saw an area of opportunity that could benefit students and future sustainability work across the nonprofit, private, and public sectors.

“Greenhouse gas inventories are a fundamental skillset for any aspiring sustainability professional,” Davis says.

Those skills help organizations have a better understanding of their own emissions landscape. That includes knowing what they’re emitting, where those emissions come from, and how much they’re releasing into the atmosphere. That understanding is the first step in creating meaningful and effective reduction strategies that can make a real impact on climate change.

“Without a robust inventory process, we risk creating ‘solutions’ that make the problem worse or don’t address the biggest drivers of the problem,” she explains.

That’s why Davis plans to hone in on the accounting portion of the problem. Unlike in previous courses that touched on the concept of greenhouse gas emissions, Davis says this class will focus specifically on the technical skills needed for greenhouse gas accounting.

Davis adds that the course also will set students up to take the next step to enroll in future certification programs, if they chose to pursue a certification in greenhouse gas accounting.

The 1 credit hour course will meet from 9 a.m.–noon on September 20, 27, and October 11, 2024, and should be open for registration by the end of April.

Liz Wager: Supporting success for all students

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman with light reddish hair sits smiling in front of a gray backdrop. — O’Neill Lecturer Elizabeth Wager is leading the school’s new undergraduate leadership program and overseeing the launch of O’Neill’s new Community and Organizational Leadership degree path, pending ICHE approval.

More than 20 years after leaving college to raise her family, O’Neill Lecturer Liz Wager went back to complete her degree.

“The concept that higher education is not for everyone presents an ideology of inequity,” she says. “I initially failed at college as a first-generation student because I simply did not know what questions to ask. But returning to IUPUI changed my life’s trajectory.”

The second go-around was different for Wager. She had 10 years of management experience and 10 years of entrepreneurship experience under her belt, providing a new perspective she says exposed gaps for nontraditional students, like herself.

“Higher education needs to be reimagined to recognize the value of experiential learning for both traditional and transitional students,” she explains.

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