![A man in a black suit stands in front of a crimson backdrop holding an award in his hand.](https://blog.oneill.indianapolis.iu.edu/files/2024/04/Jake-Ressler-Elite-50-blog-51bdb7e812465c69.jpg)
Jacob Ressler is focused on helping communities prepare for disasters—specifically how to help those in need before an event ever occurs. That drive to serve others is somewhat of a family trait.
“My path to this focus area began when I was living in East Africa as a teen,” he says. “While there, I was inspired by an uncle who worked as a disaster response coordinator for UNICEF.”
Ressler used that example as the foundation for his own future. He started stacking up degrees and wanted to learn more about the intersection of stigma, marginalization, isolation, and how they all impact disaster recovery.
He’s now pursuing his Ph.D. in social work, hoping to create a plan to improve community resilience by helping social workers collaborate with vulnerable populations prior to a disaster.
As part of his Ph.D., he’s also taking courses through O’Neill’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management graduate program.
“My Ph.D. program requires an outside minor, and something disaster-related made the most sense,” he explains. “I realized I could go beyond a minor and earn a graduate certificate by taking a couple of additional classes. The certificate will provide a contemporaneous disaster-related credential that complements my Ph.D. focus.”
His work earned him one of the top accolades at IUPUI: a spot among the university’s Elite 50 graduate students.