RaeVen Ridgell: Civic engagement helps communities and individuals

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman in a light pink top wearing a neck brace holds a gold medal. — RaeVen Ridgell was awarded the William M. Plater Medallion for Civic Engagement.
Photo credit: Derrick Brownie

For RaeVen Ridgell, civic engagement is both a way of life and a wonderful obligation.

“I think it’s important for us to get involved because it’s our duty as members of society,” she explains. “This is our community, our state, our country, and our world. We cannot wait for others to save it; we have to be the guiding force.”

In her refusal to wait for someone else to create change, Ridgell came to the O’Neill School to pursue her Master of Public Affairs.

“I heard so much about the program and knew that many of the people that I look up to went through the program,” she recalls. “I wanted to challenge myself and become a better leader and I knew this was the program to do it.”

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Truman Angell: 2024 Chancellor’s Scholar, Outstanding Public Affairs Student

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A man with dark hair wearing a black suit stands against a gray background. — O’Neill’s Truman Angell was selected as the 2024 Chancellor’s Scholar for the O’Neill School, as well as its Outstanding Student in Public Affairs.

Truman Angell was in the middle of working a lunch shift when he got the call.

“The dishwasher was going in the back, the dishes were clanking, it was kind of funny,” Angell recalls with a laugh.

He struggled to hear the person on the other end of the phone. It was O’Neill Indianapolis Executive Associate Dean Jeremy Carter, calling with good news: Truman had been named the O’Neill School’s Chancellor’s Scholar—the undergraduate student with the highest GPA among each school’s graduating class.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten first place in anything in my life, so this is definitely an honor,” he says. “And I was genuinely surprised because I didn’t pursue my undergraduate career in a competitive manner. I was happy to see that I had just done my best and earned this award.”

But the awards didn’t stop there. Just a few weeks later, Truman received another congratulatory message from Carter. He had been named O’Neill’s Outstanding Student in Public Affairs for the Class of 2024, an honor that comes directly from faculty nominations.

“The fact that some faculty members I’ve interacted with thought highly enough of me to nominate me is wonderful to know,” he says. “I’ve had great professors, including adjunct faculty who are practicing and teach us what they’re applying every single day.”

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Jacob Ressler: Elite 50

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A man in a black suit stands in front of a crimson backdrop holding an award in his hand. — Jake Ressler received an Elite 50 award from Chancellor Ramchand.

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.

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Sarah Price: Top 100 of 2024

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A portrait photo of a smiling woman with brown hair wearing a black and brown sweater. — Civic Leadership major Sarah Price was named to IUPUI’s Top 100 undergraduate students for 2024.

Each year, IUPUI honors dozens of undergraduate students, naming them among the university’s Top 100 undergrads. The names read like a list of who’s who—exceptional students recognized for their academic excellence, community engagement, and campus leadership.

This year, the O’Neill School has four undergraduates on the list. And that includes Sarah Price.

“It’s always great to be recognized for the hard work we put in and I was also thrilled to see several of my classmates on the list,” she says.

Price says she was incredibly proud to learn she had made the Top 100. She says she was excited to share with her parents but it’s also news that affirms her own hard work as a student.

The Civic Leadership major still has another year of classes left, but her selection for this year’s Top 100 speaks volumes about her impact on campus and the work she’s already done during her time at O’Neill.

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Ainsley Wright: Top 100 of 2024

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands in a hallway smiling wearing a green and cream sweater — O’Neill Environmental Policy and Sustainability major Ainsley Wright was named among IUPUI’s Top 100 undergraduate students of 2024.

Ainsley Wright started out studying environmental science at IUPUI. But it only took her first sustainability class for her to realize she needed to make a change.

She soon transferred to the O’Neill School and changed her major to Environmental Policy and Sustainability.

“The O’Neill School allowed me to study the interactions between humans and our environment and to focus more on community engagement as a solution to climate change,” she says.

Wright’s work—and work ethic—caught the attention of the university. Each year, IUPUI selects 100 outstanding undergrads who demonstrate academic excellence, campus leadership, and community engagement. Wright made the list for 2024.

“Learning I was named to the Top 100 was really exciting,” Wright says. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, but it is always nice to be rewarded for all the hard work I have done. It was a moment to take a deep breath and allow myself to take pride in where I am and all that I’ve achieved, but also to stop and reflect on the privilege it has been to attend college at IUPUI.”

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