Don’t let outdated perceptions keep you from your career

Don’t let outdated perceptions and negative voices keep you from your career

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Photo of woman with black polo shirt smiling and text on graphic that says Women of O'Neill. Jessica Kindig

Written by: Jessica Kindig (BSPA’04, MSCJPS’12)

I am no firefighter. I’m not a police officer nor an EMT. But I help keep IUPUI safe as the university’s Emergency Management Coordinator. My O’Neill degrees (BSPPA’04 and MCJPS’12) have taken me through the public sector, the private sector, and back here to my alma mater.

Emergency management is often viewed as a male-dominated field—and, certainly, it has been in the past. But the world was a lot different in the past.

Now, we have a female commissioner of the New York Police Department, a female chief at the Los Angeles Fire Department, many female administrators within FEMA, not to mention a female Vice President of the United States.

Even here at home, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Director of Emergency Management is a woman, as is IU’s Director of Emergency Management.

Yet the male-dominated perception persists—and it’s time for that to change.

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Living at an intersection of identities as a biracial woman

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Image of Alyssa Hodges wearing a purple shirt, looking back at the camera. Text on graphic reads Women of O'Neill Alyssa Hodges

Written by: Alyssa Hodges, O’Neill IUPUI Criminal Justice major

Being biracial is complex and unique and beautiful. Being a biracial woman only deepens all of those things. These three groups, so wonderfully blended, have made me who I am. But my intersectional identity can be—and has been—fetishized and even questioned by some.

My mother is white and my father is Black. I spent the majority of the first 10 years of my life in a predominately white town, one I would classify as rather rural. I knew of fewer than 10 other Black people in my town, including my dad and brothers. To me, it was normal to have so few Black people around. it was all I had ever known.

Old photo of three young children sitting on a couch with their mother. — Alyssa Hodges (second from left) grew up in a biracial family with three brothers.

When I was young, I honestly felt no different than anyone else—I was just Alyssa. But as a young girl, there was one glaring difference many people couldn’t ignore: my hair. I would hear things like: “It’s so poofy,” “It’s like poodle hair,” “What does it feel like?” and the word I always hated most: frizzy.

As I grew up, hearing about the difference in my hair soon expanded to include the difference in my skin tone. People would ask me questions like, “What are you?” or say “You’re not really that Black.” To this day, I continue to hear comments like this and comments about my hair.

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O’Neill student lands internship then job after Nonprofit Expo

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Group photo of children and camp leaders around a state park sign with snow on the ground. — Quinlin Malloy (back left) found an internship with Camptown through the IUPUI Nonprofit Expo.

Quinlin Malloy helps kids connect with nature.

“I’ve always been pretty environmentally conscious,” she admits.

As a part-time program leader for the nonprofit Camptown, Malloy takes young people in Indianapolis on outdoor experiences, from fishing and hiking to learning about waste and recycling.

Malloy is a Sustainable Management and Policy major at O’Neill Indianapolis. She’s been with Camptown for nearly a year after first learning about the organization at the 2021 IUPUI Nonprofit Expo.

At the time, Malloy wasn’t sure what she was looking for and had never been to an internship or job fair. So, she started scrolling through the list of employers attending the Expo. There were well-known names on the list, but there were also some she had never heard of, including Camptown.

IUPUI’s Nonprofit Expo serves as an annual bridge between students and nonprofit, government, and community organizations.

“This isn’t a standard career fair,” explains Kerry Lay, an O’Neill School career advisor. “It allows students who are interested in working in the nonprofit or public sectors to connect with dozens of organizations in one place at one time.”

Those organizations have openings for internships, volunteer positions, and even full- and part-time jobs.

Photo of Quinlin Malloy in a green shirt and khaki hat with her hand on her chin and trees behind her. — O’Neill Sustainable Management and Policy major Quinlin Malloy works at Camptown, helping to connect kids learn in nature.

“These fairs allow you to learn about the organizations ahead of time and talk with potential employers before applying for an internship or a job,” Malloy adds. “You get to know them first, which is a much better approach than just applying and hoping to find a good fit.”

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O’Neill faculty pivot lesson plans to address real-world conflict in Ukraine

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Pierre Atlas lectures students from the front of the classroom with a map of Ukraine behind him — O’Neill Senior Lecturer Pierre Atlas teaches students about the conflict in Ukraine.

Before Russian military forces ever launched attacks in Ukraine, O’Neill Senior Lecturer Pierre Atlas was answering emails from students, eager to know more about what was happening and why. He had been writing about rising tensions between the two nations for weeks.

“Many students were already asking me about the situation in Ukraine in the days prior to the invasion,” he says.

On the morning of February 24, more questions began pouring in from students, including from Kobie Summers, a Criminal Justice major at O’Neill. Summers contacted Atlas that morning about what was going on—and to ask a favor.

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Building allyships and sponsorships

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Woman standing in blue shirt and gray blazer. Text says Tenecia Waddell-Pyle

Written by Tenecia Waddell-Pyle (BSCJ’16), Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MyPath Companies

When I began my journey at O’Neill IUPUI, I was a single mother of three active boys and a full-time police officer with mandatory overtime duties. I already had more than a decade of law enforcement experience under my belt but wanted to expand that knowledge. Now, six years after earning my Criminal Justice degree from O’Neill, I have a new career dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—that work includes helping people learn to become allies for different identity groups.

The cross-sector education I received at O’Neill has been a great light in my life and has helped me gain opportunities and make an impact in the spaces I have been in—from a 15-year career in law enforcement to nonprofit executive leadership and now to corporate senior leadership.

Throughout my career and life, I have been navigating DEI topics and cultivating DEI initiatives. In June 2021, this work became my primary focus when I was named the first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for MyPath—a human services organization providing educational, therapeutic, and community supports for children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities, mental health issues, and other significant needs.

Yet before my current role, I was building relationships within the company. I started an initiative that created a safe and belonging space for conversation and education on topics that affected our diverse staff, clients, and communities.

We all can and must work to create those spaces wherever we are. We also should look for opportunities to build allyships and sponsorships. These two relationships are extremely important in supporting and amplifying underrepresented and marginalized populations.

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