IU Office of Community Engagement in Indianapolis

A reflection from our Vice Chancellor for Workforce and Community Engagement, Marie Mackintosh, originally shared on LinkedIn:

"This is workforce and community engagement at its best! O'Neill Indianapolis students are not watching from the sidelines. They are helping to run the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center's emergency operations, safeguard more than 850,000 visitors and respond when people need help most.

Real responsibility. Real public impact. Real preparation for what comes next.

Proud to see our students putting their education to work in the heart of Indianapolis!"

Braden Crynes is one of five IU Indianapolis interns safeguarding the Indiana State Fair. As an emergency operations intern, he helps with dispatch; relaying critical information and directing the appropriate personnel to respond as incidents are reported.

Braden’s interest in public safety was inspired by his father’s career in law enforcement in Linton, Indiana. Now, as a O'Neill Indianapolis student majoring in criminal justice with a minor in public safety management, he is making his dreams a reality.

Learn more about Braden's internship experience at the Indiana State Fair: https://hey.iu.edu/usifK

🏙️ This is the power of being an urban university. Learning doesn't stop at the edge of campus. Being in the heart of Indianapolis creates opportunities for students and alumni to connect with local businesses, professionals, entrepreneurs, and ideas, and to see what's possible for their own futures.

A great example of IU Indianapolis connecting education, community, and opportunity.

“It’s just cool because you can connect with so many local businesses right by campus. It opens up your mind to the possibilities of being able to meet anybody while being in a metropolitan city.” 🏙️

From young Jag to notable Indy creator, Kelley School of Business Indianapolis alumnus Mike G made an appearance on campus recently as a featured guest for the most recent “Crafted by Kelley” networking event and fireside chat.

From reflecting on his time as a Kelley student to exploring his postgrad journey through turning content creation into a successful business, he told all about how he built his brand and gained over 300,000 Instagram followers.

🔗Learn more about this Indy creator alumnus: https://hey.iu.edu/usasK

Downtown Indy is seeking community input through its 2026 Downtown Perception Survey. Whether you live, work, study, or regularly spend time Downtown, your perspective can help provide a more complete picture of how people experience Downtown Indianapolis.

The survey takes less than five minutes to complete.

Take the survey and share your perspective: https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_00YnyljwNrUucgC

Know someone else who lives, works, studies, or spends time Downtown? Share the survey with them, too!

Ready to put your American history knowledge to the test? 🇺🇸🧠

Join us for Red, White, and Brainy: An America 250 Trivia Event at IU Indianapolis! Join as a team with your friends or come on your own. We'll see you there!

Calling all history buffs! 📣🇺🇸

Grab a group of friends, brush up on historic facts, and get ready for friendly competition that will put your American history knowledge to the test with Red, White and Brainy Trivia! ✍️

Building on this year’s commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary and hosted by IU Indianapolis, this fast-paced trivia event will bring together IU Indianapolis community members for an afternoon of brain-teasing questions, team spirit, light refreshments and prizes.

⏰1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
🗓️Monday, Aug. 31
📍Campus Center Room 450.

🔗Register today: https://hey.iu.edu/usajM

We're proud to see students entering high school exploring career possibilities, building confidence, and gaining hands-on experiences at IU Indianapolis through CROWN Camp.

Take a look at what they discovered this summer. 👇

"Going to high school is a hard transition. Programs like these help my kid see her future and dream big,” said Angelica Amaro-Diaz, mom of a participant in IU Indianapolis' new CROWN camp.

Rising ninth graders eligible for 21st Century Scholarships got a hands-on look at careers in public health, engineering and beyond.

Check out how these young scholars spent two weeks building confidence and discovering what’s possible: https://hey.iu.edu/ur4T8

🎤 Your next opportunity starts with a conversation. High school and college students, community members, and families came together at IU Indianapolis for the Pitch Yourself Workshop with Olivia West, a dynamic speaker, WNBA/NBA in-arena host, and champion for student success and motivation.

West's interactive presentation gave participants the opportunity to think differently about how they present themselves and practice skills they can use in classrooms, career conversations, interviews, and networking.

💬 Know your audience — Participants paired up and practiced tailoring their message to a recruiter, hiring manager, scholarship committee, or professor.

✨ Build your executive presence — Participants practiced communicating confidence through eye contact, posture, energy, pace, voice, and body language.

🎯 Sharpen your message — Participants developed a memorable 30-second pitch by answering four questions: Who are you? What have you done? Why does it matter? What are you looking for next?

Participants practiced their pitches with multiple partners, received feedback, and had opportunities to share their messages with the group.

💭 One participant shared that the workshop offered valuable advice for those looking for “internships, jobs, or job shadowing,” adding that learning these skills at a younger age can help in their careers.

West also reminded participants that you are more than what you do, and that the next opportunity can start with a conversation.

The Indiana Latino Institute's Pitch Yourself Workshop created space for participants to build confidence, practice professional communication, and prepare to make their next first impression count.

🎤 College students: Make your first impression count.

Join the Indiana Latino Institute and IU Indianapolis for the Pitch Yourself Workshop featuring keynote speaker Olivia West, WNBA/NBA in-arena host and champion for student success and motivation.

Learn how to craft a confident elevator pitch, strengthen your networking skills, and make a memorable first impression with employers and recruiters. Whether you're preparing for your first career fair or looking for your next internship, this interactive workshop will help you showcase your skills, interests, and goals with confidence.

📅 Saturday, August 8
🕙 10:00–11:00 a.m.
📍 IUI Herron School of Art + Design | Basile Auditorium | 735 W. New York St.

Registration is still open! College students and community members are invited to attend.

🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/eG5hszU8

At this year's Lilly + IU Co-op, five IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indianapolis undergrad students got the opportunity of a life time to immersed themselves in creating real-world solutions and work with industry professionals during this year’s Lilly + IU Co-op. 🏥🤝

The semester-long partnership offered select sophomore, Computer Science students like Jaitra Gopal Shah and Kloe Wang the chance to participate in complex, applied projects across a variety of sectors at the Indianapolis-based global pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly.

"Every conversation left me with something new: a perspective I hadn’t considered, a career path I didn’t know existed, or simply the confidence that I belong in these spaces," said Wang.

🔗Learn more about these students' experiences: https://hey.iu.edu/urMFp