James Eckerty is a fixture at O’Neill IUPUI. He’s one of the school’s biggest cheerleaders and a dedicated and passionate advocate for its students.
“I wanted to bridge a gap for students that I felt when I was a first-generation student at IUPUI,” he recalls. “I had to find out a lot of information about college on my own and I wanted to be an advocate and advisor to help other students.”
Written by: Kerry Lay, O’Neill Career Services Advisor
I wanted to be a second grade teacher for nearly my entire life. When I headed off to Colorado State University, I was convinced elementary education was my path. If someone had told my 18-year-old self that was not the career path I would take, I am certain a meltdown would have ensued.
However, when I realized teaching children wasn’t for me, I felt alone and stressed. I could not imagine how I would figure out my life at that point. Then, my academic advisor swooped in and let me know a few things.
O’Neill IUPUI’s Director of Career Services Kristine Schuster has a piece of advice for O’Neill students.
“You have to listen to yourself,” she says. “I want our students to know this is their life and they get to pick their priorities.”
That’s the message she tries to instill in students during their meetings about their future careers. Schuster joined O’Neill IUPUI in 2016 as a career advisor. Two years later, she was promoted and now runs the school’s careers services department.
Her commitment to students doesn’t end at advising. She works with IUPUI’s Career Services Council and other university committees to address career challenges women face—such as salary negotiation and the gender pay gap—as well as broadening access for study abroad programs. She also leads O’Neill IUPUI’s Washington Leadership Program, our study abroad programs, and the school’s internships.
“It’s also a lot of connecting with local employers and making sure they know what O’Neill and our students have to offer,” she explains. “I want to make sure there are opportunities for our students and that our students are ready for those opportunities.”
To view the April 1 DEI Student Leadership Awards ceremony, visit this link.
The O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted its inaugural Student Leadership Awards on April 1 to honor students, faculty, and staff who have played a critical role in advancing DEI efforts within the school and in the larger community.
Once nominations were gathered, students voted on the recipients. The winners were announced at a virtual awards event. Students and nominators were able to share their thoughts about each of the recipients, including faculty of the year, Dr. Jamie Levine Daniel and Dr. Cullen C. Merritt, both from O’Neill IUPUI.
When O’Neill students need help, their first point of contact may well be Ariel Mason, Kelsey Weaver, and Adison Stone. These three women are not only O’Neill students, they’re also O’Neill employees.
In their work, the trio helps O’Neill staff and their fellow students by scheduling student appointments with academic advisors and providing peer advising, answering questions about schedules and classes, helping during new student orientation, and connecting students to resources.
“The most rewarding thing is when I’m able to help resolve a student’s question or problem,” Ariel says. “We’re students too so we understand where these questions come from and how important they are.”
Kelsey is a Management major. Adison is studying Criminal Justice. And Ariel is earning her undergrad degree in Sustainable Management and Policy while also working toward her Master of Public Affairs in Public Management through O’Neill’s Accelerated Master’s Program.
All three students represent different academic areas within O’Neill, bringing in much-needed and much-desired student input.
