RA and Alumni Spotlights

How has working for OCE impacted your personal or professional experiences? What are some of your favorite parts?

One of the most interesting parts of the Observing Civic Engagement (OCE) Lab is seeing how different communities organize their meetings. While some groups make decisions through casual discussion and implied agreement, others follow strict parliamentary procedures. It's also fascinating to see how these elements affect other things, such as social interactions. 

OCE has helped me become a more research-minded student. Additionally, some of the practices I see leaders using during the convenings I observe are great inspirations for my own leadership development. I have learned that Bloomington has a vibrant nonprofit community engagement scene. I never anticipated so many organizations making up the tapestry of Bloomington's third spaces.

How has working for OCE impacted your personal or professional experiences? What are some of your favorite parts?

What I have found most interesting in this project is realizing just how many civil society groups exist in Bloomington. As students, we mostly hear about campus clubs or student-led organizations, but we rarely see the wider network of community groups that are doing meaningful work. Being involved in this project has given me exposure to people, missions, and cultures I would not have encountered otherwise. I am currently studying molecular life sciences with a minor in health care management and policy, and the experiences I have had through this project have helped me think about patient care in a deeper way. Observing how people communicate, collaborate, and bring different cultural perspectives into their work has helped me imagine how I want to create connections and provide a welcoming environment for diverse patients in the medical field.

How has working for OCE impacted your personal or professional experiences? What are some of your favorite parts?

What I find most interesting about the work of the Observing Civic Engagement (OCE) Lab is the opportunity to observe civic engagement as it happens in the Bloomington community. As a graduate student studying public affairs and international affairs, with a particular interest in sustainable development and nonprofit organizations, working with OCE has allowed me to connect what I've learned with real-world experiences by observing how local organizations, community groups, and residents come together around shared interests and needs. This experience has also strengthened my research and observation skills and helped me better understand how civic engagement works. By observing volunteer activities, religious organizations, local clubs, community events, and social interactions among residents, I have learned that Bloomington has a diverse, vibrant community and that civic engagement can take many forms. One of my biggest takeaways from working with OCE is that much of community engagement happens at a very local, sometimes small, scale. These activities may not always be highly visible, but they build social connections and give people opportunities to participate in their communities and contribute to local decision-making.

What professional and/or personal ventures have you undertaken in the last year?

Since working with the Observing Civic Engagement (OCE) Lab, I have continued building my career in public service, civic engagement, research, and relationship-building. Currently, I am a Development Scholar at the Indiana University Foundation and Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. In this role, I support alumni relations, annual giving, stewardship, and other development projects. I also stay active in civic and public affairs at Indiana University with student government and community-focused research. My experiences have shown me that civic engagement takes many forms, from research and public communication to philanthropy, leadership, and hands-on work. 

What professional and/or personal ventures have you undertaken in the last year?

I graduated from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in May with a Master of Public Affairs, and I am now working toward a career in international organizations. I also recently finished an internship at the United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Fund in New York. The Fund supports programs wherein different UN agencies work together to help countries make progress on their SDGs. Part of my job was keeping the Fund’s program tracker up to date, and a lot of what I learned at OCE came in handy there, especially keeping the data consistent and paying attention to small details. 

How has working for OCE impacted your personal or professional experiences? What professional and/or personal ventures have you undertaken in the last year?