From career fair to career: O’Neill student makes connection that sparked internship, career in probation

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Leslie Wells

Three women stand in front of a welcome banner, two of whom are holding recognition plaques. — O’Neill alumna Alyssa Jones credits O’Neill’s Community Safety Career Day with launching her internship and career in probation.

As Alyssa Jones sat in a Marion County Probation appointment room in early 2024, she was focused on the person across the table. Their probation sentence was beginning, and she was asking questions, doing a risk assessment, talking through the expectations, and discussing the support she could provide along the way.

“Everybody’s going through something and not everyone comes from the same background,” she explains. “A lot of the people I saw felt like they’re stuck, like there were no other options than whatever they did to end up here. We were there to help them realize they do have other options.”

That desire to help was at the center of what Jones always wanted to do with her life.

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Empowering rural development in Nepal: New study abroad course focuses on renewable energy

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman wearing safety gear carries a solar panel, with mountains in the background. — The O’Neill School is offering a new summer study abroad course centered on solar microgrids in Nepal.

Written by: Amber Greaney, O’Neill alumna and associate faculty member

Imagine going about your life when suddenly a 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes. Your school is destroyed, social upheaval ensues, and landslides leave your village isolated from the rest of the country. The energy infrastructure is down, and it could take more than a decade to restore power. This is not a fictional tragedy; it reflects the urgent reality that has unfolded in Nepal.

Following the 2015 earthquake, 30% of Nepal lost access to electricity. While most disaster relief efforts around the world rely on gasoline and diesel generators, those are both expensive solutions. In response to these challenges, solar power has become a beacon of hope for recovery in Nepal. Microgrids—small, decentralized energy systems that generate and distribute electricity—have emerged as a viable solution for electrification in remote areas. Distributed energy systems like microgrids offer a realistic and resilient approach to addressing the challenges of energy infrastructure.

The O’Neill School is now offering a new study abroad course that will not only help install a new microgrid in one of the Nepalese communities still without power but will also provide real-life lessons for students.

The course

From May 10–20, 2025, students can join associate faculty member Amber Greaney for this unique study abroad experience. The intensive 10-day course will take students on a transformative journey where they’ll engage in hands-on learning and make a tangible impact in local communities. Participation is not just a learning experience but a crucial part of the solution.

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Estorcien named Emerging Scholar Fund recipient

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman in a red blazer and black shirt stands in a bright hallways smiling. — O’Neill Assistant Professor Vernise Estorcien was named one of ARNOVA’s Emerging Scholar Fund recipients for 2024.

O’Neill Assistant Professor Vernise Estorcien wants to make community services better by promoting fairness, efficiency, and responsiveness in programs and organizations. Her research looks at how public and nonprofit organizations work, with a focus on racial issues, social equity, and programs designed to connect everyday people with government services that feel accessible and relevant.

That work caught the attention of ARNOVA, a national organization focused on supporting and advancing nonprofit and philanthropic research.

Estorcien has been selected as one of the organization’s Emerging Scholar Fund recipients for 2024. Each year, the award recognizes 10 promising nonprofit scholars and practitioners and supports their research efforts.

“Receiving the ARNOVA Emerging Scholar Award is a tremendous honor that validates my commitment to studying public and nonprofit management, particularly in the realm of minority youth development,” Estorcien says. “This recognition will establish my reputation as a rising academic in the field, support the advancement of my research on minority youth, and enable me to advocate for community initiatives that are crucial for underserved populations.”

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Sanghee Park: Advancing public services and equity through policy and management

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman wears a black blazer and white collar shirt and stands in a well-lit breezeway. — O’Neill Associate Professor Sanghee Park

It’s been 15 years since Associate Professor Sanghee Park completed her Ph.D. in Seoul, South Korea. In that time, she’s built a career out of trying to help public managers and leaders make the world a better place.

“The field of public affairs sits at the nexus of public policy, management, and governance,” she explains. “We need all kinds of different tools and perspectives on the table to figure out what the current problems look like and how to find effective and equitable solutions.”

Park has always been fascinated by public affairs and how it can help drive the decisions that govern our everyday lives and impact outcomes—positive and negative, alike—that can last a lifetime.

“My ultimate hope is to help shape a society in which public needs are better understood and met, and all members have fair access to opportunities, thereby fostering a more inclusive and resilient community,” Park says.

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O’Neill student pushes for young voter involvement in elections

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A man stands in front of a sign that says Indiana with a city skyline in the background. — O’Neill Public Policy major Connor Elliott served as a delegate to the national convention.

Nineteen-year-old O’Neill Public Policy major Connor Elliott has already been on the frontline of elections.

In spring 2023, he served on the reelection campaign for Indianapolis’ mayor. That opportunity led to another—campaign manager for a state representative—which led to another.

“Every two years the state party holds a state convention, so you can run for state delegate,” he says.

He earned a state delegate seat in his home district but had bigger plans. Elliott wanted a seat at the national convention table.

“The norm had been that most of the national delegate positions were held by people who were middle-age and older,” he explains.

Elliott wanted to serve not only as a voice for young people but as an example as well.

“I’m just some 19-year-old kid from Shelbyville, Indiana—middle of nowhere,” he says. “But I had the opportunity to go to the national convention. That’s not common.”

Not common but also not impossible.

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