O'Neill alumna, grad student finds inspiration through helping refugee women

Inspiration through helping immigrant and refugee women

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Leslie Wells

Sara Hindi stands in front of a world map painted in watercolor — Sara Hindi, O’Neill alumna, current MPA student, and Exodus Refugee community engagement coordinator. (Photo courtesy: Tony Valainis at Indianapolis Monthly)

In honor of Women’s History Month, the O’Neill School is using our March blogs as a platform to highlight the women of O’Neill, including students, faculty, and alumni, and their work to make a difference in our communities.

Written by: Sara Hindi, BSPA’16 and current O’Neill MPA student

Women’s History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the women who have broken barriers and inspired us. In my personal and professional life, that means honoring the strength and resilience of immigrant and refugee mothers and women, including my grandmother—a Palestinian refugee—and my mother who emigrated from Jordan to Indianapolis in 1997 with my father and their three young children.

My own family’s journey made me a passionate advocate for other immigrants. That passion turned into a career I love, thanks to O’Neill IUPUI and the Center for Service and Learning at IUPUI, and an internship with Exodus Refugee Immigration that opened the door to a full-time job.

Exodus Refugee is a local resettlement agency dedicated to welcoming and serving refugees and other forcibly displaced populations who now live in Indianapolis. In the last five years, we have welcomed 2,268 refugees from countries including Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and more. We greet them at the airport and help them with employment services, English classes, case management, and much more. We even have a program dedicated specifically to helping refugee women and mothers overcome additional barriers.

In my five years at Exodus, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many refugee mothers and women. I’ve heard many stories of grief, loss, and trauma—but these stories are also rooted in strength and perseverance. It has given me deep admiration for mothers and women who leave everything behind in war-torn countries to find a safe place to call home. For many, this is a life-or-death decision—leaving their home is the only way to survive.

They leave behind family, friends, language, and culture to raise their children in a new and unfamiliar country, with the hope that their child can get an education and a safe place to call home. When I ask mothers what their hopes and dreams are in Indianapolis, they often respond with, “I just want my kids to go to school and get an education.” They have left everything they know behind, not for themselves, but for their children.

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Women leaders, don’t wait – break the rules

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Sara M Johnson

Sara Johnson, director of Executive Education and clinical assistant professor at O’Neill IUPUI

In honor of Women’s History Month, the O’Neill School is using our March blogs as a platform to highlight the women of O’Neill, including students, faculty, and alumni, and their work to make a difference in our communities.

Written by: Sara Johnson, Director of Executive Education; Clinical Assistant Professor

It has been said that women will only apply for a job if they feel 100 percent qualified while men will apply if they feel 60 percent qualified. Many have attributed this to the belief that women lack confidence and therefore do not apply if not fully qualified.

But research by Tara Mohr, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2014, reveals the real reason women don’t apply isn’t because of a lack of confidence that they could do the job, but rather they don’t believe they would be interviewed because they don’t meet the qualifications. This, Mohr reports, is because women are socialized to be rule followers.

I have a long history of breaking the rules and it’s important that women in leadership not be afraid to do the same.

The rule I break most often is waiting to be asked. I hear young women say, “I don’t think I’m ready for that position” or, “I don’t have the experience.” Perhaps that’s true, but you can’t let it stop you from trying to move into a position for which you may not be fully prepared. The truth is that we are rarely fully prepared for what’s next. But, we can figure it out.

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Doing the work: O’Neill alumna helps guide racial change in Pittsburgh

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Leslie Wells

O'Neill alumna Cheryl Hall-Russell — O’Neill alumna Dr. Cheryl Hall-Russell (MPA’99)

As the nation celebrates Black History Month, the O’Neill School is working to amplify Black voices within our own community. From students to faculty and alumni, the O’Neill IUPUI blog will feature guest posts throughout February discussing the individual’s research, fields of expertise, and/or experiences.

Written by Dr. Cheryl Hall-Russell, Ed.D, MPA’99–Nonprofit Management

“Hello everyone and welcome to “What Black Pittsburgh Needs to Know!”

As I introduce my colleagues and our guest, I see my face reflecting back at me from my computer screen. Producing and moderating a weekly live public affairs podcast was the last thing on my mind this time a year ago.

I had launched a diversity, equity, and inclusion practice in 2017 and had been very fortunate to build the business quickly. I had just returned from Los Angeles working with a client on their DEI challenges and within two weeks the country had shut down.

As I sat on my couch anxiously watching the crisis deepen, I saw the response to it fall prey to the racial and economic fault lines so deeply entrenched in American society. My colleagues and I witnessed anxious social media posts as job losses ramped up and myths about COVID-19 spread like wildfire. While my work focused on race and equity, how to help a community respond to a pandemic was not in my toolbox.

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Black History Month brings a mix of pride and pain

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Leslie Wells

As the nation celebrates Black History Month, the O’Neill School is working to amplify Black voices within our own community. From students to faculty and alumni, the O’Neill IUPUI blog will feature guest posts throughout February discussing the individual’s research, fields of expertise, and/or experiences.

Written by: Dr. Caroline Bailey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, O’Neill School at IUPUI

Black History Month brings forth a mixture of emotions for me. On the one hand, there is a sense of sorrow when I think about the millions of Black people who were stolen from their homeland and brought to America to work for free under the violent rule of white men and women, destroying generations of Black family lineage, culture, and wealth. During this month it is commonplace to turn on the television and see movies that are meant to document the experiences of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights era. While I appreciate the telling of these dark periods in American history, it is such a terrible reminder of the cruelty and suffering that Black people in America have experienced and continue to experience.

On the other hand, there is a sense of pride as we celebrate the accomplishments of countless African Americans even amid unprecedented oppression and mistreatment. Given all the adversity faced by Black people throughout history, it is even more remarkable to consider all that we have contributed to this country. As a result, African American culture, intellect, and pride are woven throughout the fabric of America. Whether it is Harriet Tubman’s determination to liberate her people, Ruby Bridges’ courage to integrate schools in New Orleans, the invention of the traffic light by Garrett Morgan, or the pioneering of open-heart surgery by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, African American women and men have given tremendously to a country that has taken so much from them.

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New survey to gauge public feedback on Indianapolis, Marion County budgets

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Leslie Wells

Written by Samantha Buran and Brooke Barnett

Across the nation, there has been a growing call for government accountability, particularly as it relates to city government budgets and their budgeting processes. For example, in Indianapolis, there have been public calls for public safety reforms, increased funding for rental assistance, and other related items.

The mayor and Indianapolis City-County Council are responsible for adopting the annual budgets for both the city and Marion County. This process includes formal public notices about the proposed budget, as well as formal council meetings where residents may provide their input on the proposed budget. This year, there will be an additional opportunity for residents to engage in the budgeting process.

In a first-of-its-kind effort in Indianapolis, O’Neill IUPUI graduate students Samantha Buran and Brooke Barnett will administer an online survey to better understand what residents and workers of the Circle City and Marion County value and how they would like to see that reflected in the city’s budget. Similar surveys have been conducted in cities such as Chicago and Austin.

The results of the survey will be shared with the City-County Council and the public. Researchers Buran and Barnett are hopeful that the results of the survey will help decision makers create a budget that reflects the values of Indianapolis citizens moving forward.

From February 10 through March 24, 2021, the Indianapolis Budget Survey will be available for anyone who lives and/or works in Indianapolis to complete. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and is available in both English and Spanish.

To further enhance the results of the survey, residents also can opt in to being contacted for focus groups on this topic in the future. Anyone interested in taking the survey can access it at indybudgetsurvey.com.