Ivy Tech Indianapolis magazine, Summer 2023: Vol. 02
Ivy Indy Vol. 02
Ivy Tech Community College - Indianapolis
State Board of Trustees
Terry Anker , The Anker Consulting Group Marianne Glick , Glick Philanthropies Campus Board of Trustees Ann Merkel , Chair The National Bank of Indianapolis Peter Rimsans , Secretary Strategic Elements Jason Kloth , Ascend Indiana Aleesia Johnson , Indianapolis Public Schools Melissa Rekeweg , National FFA Jean Renk , Duke Energy Mario Rodriquez , Indianapolis Airport Authority Tracey Tomchick, Eli Lilly and Company Aaron Williams , Google Chancellor’s Cabinet
Dr. Stacy Atkinson , Interim Chancellor Jennifer McCloud , Director of Chancellor Office Operations Lisa Hardin , Senior Administrative Assistant to the Chancellor Amanda Bonilla , Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Community Engagement Andy Cummings , Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Danielle Stiles-Polk , Vice Chancellor of Development and Alumni Relations
The Ivy Indy magazine is published two times annually by the Ivy Tech Indianapolis Office of Marketing & Communications for stakeholders, alumni, and friends. Reach out to the creators at Indianapolis-Marketing@ivytech.edu with your comments and thoughts. Address any correspondence to Ivy Tech Community College - Indianapolis, ATTN: Ivy Indy magazine, 50 W. Fall Creek Parkway, North Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46208.
ivytech.edu/indianapolis
Editor – Julie Scholl, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Writer & Designer – Shakkira Harris, Director of Content Marketing
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Index
Message to Reader
4
60-Year Timeline
5
‘Ivy Tech Changed My Life.’
8
Discovering the Solution to Homelessness
11
Indy’s Digital Illustrator
16
A More Impactful Way to Share
18
Urban Nature Run Leads to New Scholarship
20
Boubacar Cherif Balde
22
More Personable Recovery Centers
25
Bringing the Community Together
27
The New MATH 123
28
2023 Commencement
29
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Message to the Reader
Ivy Indy
Ivy Tech Indianapolis Magazine
Ivy Tech Community College is the largest college in Indiana and the largest singly-accredited community college in the nation. Our impact extends far beyond the classroom, our communities, and the Hoosier State – our influence is felt worldwide. As this great institution’s largest and most diverse campus, we see the trajectory of our students' lives change every single day at Ivy Tech Indianapolis. Between our students, faculty, and staff, the expansion of knowledge from one walk of life to the next is an experience that is simply unmatched among our peers. As the most affordable college in our state, Ivy Tech gives students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attain a higher education a world of opportunity. Ivy Tech Indianapolis takes this a step further and offers our community open doors and grace.
Inside this edition of the Ivy Indy magazine, you will get a glimpse at how our campus continues to rise to the occasion and far surpass expectations by transforming lives. You will catch up with some of our amazing alumni. You will read about some of our students who are poised to make a difference in this world. You will hear from a couple of donors who share why they give to our great campus. And more. Each of these stories lends itself to the extensive exposé of our continued elevation at Ivy Tech Indianapolis.
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60-Year Timeline
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I vy T ech C omm u ni t y C ollege C eleb r a t e s 60 Y ea rs A RICH HISTORY OF SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
The Downtown Indianapolis campus of Ivy Tech Community College came to fruition two years after the Indiana General Assembly founded what was then called the Indiana Vocational and Technical College in 1963. Ivy Tech started offering classes in Indianapolis in 1965 after a couple of true trademark examples of Hoosier hospitality. First, in 1964, P. R. Mallory and Company gifted a four-story industrial building on its near east side campus, located at 1315 E. Washington St., to Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). Then, the following year in 1965, IPS leased the property to Ivy Tech. There, Ivy Tech's Indianapolis campus was able to operate fully with 10 full-time faculty and staff, who, at the time, had upwards of
300 part-time students. Even more on-brand for the State of Indiana's Hoosier hospitality, the 10 individuals who were instrumental in Ivy Tech Indianapolis' early days were technically not even employed by Ivy Tech but by IPS. This was, of course, until Ivy Tech's Central Indiana region was formally charted in 1969. Ivy Tech continued conducting Indianapolis classes in the East Washington Street building for the next several years while also offering courses in what was once the American United Life Insurance Company at North Meridian Street and Fall Creek Parkway. Then, in 1983, Ivy Tech officially moved its Central Indiana Region classes and administrative operations to the building that we now know as the Glenn W. Sample North Meridian Center (NMC).
Indiana General Assembly Establishes the Indiana Vocational Technical College
Ivy Tech Central Indiana is Formally Chartered
Glick Technology Center Opens
1963
1969
1990
1965
1983
2005
Ivy Tech Begins Offering Classes in Indianapolis
Ivy Tech Central Indiana moves to North Meridian Street at Fall Creek Parkway
Ivy Tech Becomes State's Official Community College
Since the early 1980s, Ivy Tech Indianapolis has evolved immensely to meet our community's education, training, and workforce needs. In 1990 the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Technology Center opened on campus. In 2009, Ivy Tech again needed to expand and began renovating the historic St. Vincent Hospital. Two years later, the Julia M. Carson Learning Resource Center (LRC) opened. Come 2012, both the Illinois Fall Creek Center (IFC) and the Corporate College and Culinary Center officially opened on campus, which we all now know as the Conference Center and Culinary Institute (CCCI). Today, the Indianapolis campus of Ivy Tech Community College is the largest and most diverse of all 19 Ivy Tech campuses. Over 800 faculty and staff work to meet the education, training, and workforce needs of more than 28,000 students annually.
In addition to the downtown Indianapolis campus, we have the Automotive Technology Center on the city's west side, a full-service campus in Lawrence, and a satellite location in Plainfield under our administration. Ivy Tech Community College headquarters, known internally as the Systems Office, is also housed on the Indianapolis campus. Ivy Tech Indianapolis continues to rise to the challenge and far surpasses our goals. This is evident in our historic expansions, affordable tuition, and quick-to-pivot progress model. The College is proud of the work done by Indianapolis staff and faculty, past and present, to help ensure Ivy Tech remains the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system and Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution.
Ivy Tech Becomes State's Largest College System
Julia M. Carson Learning Resource Center Opens
Ivy Tech Indianapolis Automotive Technology Center Opens
2008
2011
2021
2009
2012
2022
Ivy Tech Central Indiana Renovates Former St. Vincent Hospital
Culinary and Conference Center Opens
Ivy Tech Makes Forbes List for Best Employers By State, for Women, and for Diversity
"Ivy Tech Changed My Life" H a r mee t K a ur , AAS ' 13 , s a y s s he w o u ldn ' t be w he r e s he i s t oda y w i t ho ut I vy T ech I ndiana p oli s . Before entering high school, Harmeet Kaur had changed schools close to 10 times. As a non-native English speaker, the constant moving made her English as a second language (ESL) courses even harder than they already were. Not to mention being taught standard American elementary and middle school classes entirely in her second language. “I relied on books that I bought for a couple of cents at garage sales to learn English and fix my reading and writing,” Kaur said. Neither of Kaur’s parents matriculated past grade school while in rural India. So when they immigrated to America, Kaur’s mother and father depended on her to learn English while also expecting her to keep up with their native tongue. “I was expected to not only keep up with the culture and customs of our native country but also to learn the new ways of America, all while moving several times,” Kaur said. While in seventh grade, Kaur’s father passed away, making her home life and the pressures of being a first-generation immigrant even more challenging. “I had a completely wild home dynamic to deal with, it's safe to say,” Kaur said.
Alumni
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Despite this, Kaur remained studious and dedicated to her studies. As a result, she graduated high school with honors and an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. After graduating high school and going through a mentally tumultuous period, Kaur took a semester off to travel to India and clear her head. However, when she returned home to Indianapolis, Kaur says she experienced reverse culture shock and wasn’t sure where to start. “Just like any other Ivy Tech student, honestly, I didn't know what to do with the hurdles that I had already encountered in life and where to begin on the higher education journey,” Kaur said. Kaur decided to enroll at Ivy Tech Community College on the downtown Indianapolis campus. It was a decision Kaur says she made reluctantly. “I remember feeling very ashamed and confused,” she said. “There was this notion in high school that honors students like me don't belong in a place like Ivy Tech and that I should at the very least be striving for IUPUI, which was the very bottom of the bar,” Kaur said, describing the stigma around community college at the time. Kaur planned to be at Ivy Tech for a semester, get good grades in transferrable classes and apply to IUPUI as soon as possible. But then she met Dr. M. Beth Borst, our founding dean of Honors College. And just like that, the trajectory of Kaur’s time at Ivy Tech Indianapolis and, subsequently, her higher education journey changed. Dr. Borst talked with Kaur about Honors College and the cost-effectiveness of earning her associate's degree in business
administration before pursuing her bachelor’s – and she was off to the races. “Now, in retrospect, I completely disagree with anyone who has the assessment that any high school honors student shouldn’t consider community college,” Kaur said. “Ivy Tech changed my life. I've said it before, and I'll say it again – I wouldn't be where I am now without Ivy Tech.” Kaur experienced several influential moments during her time at Ivy Tech Indianapolis, starting with one of her very first Honor’s College classes instructed by Dr. James C. Duncan, our current director of Global Education and humanities professor. The course was titled “Philosophy of Religion,” and Kaur says the lessons she learned in the class are still instrumental in how she approaches various decisions in her personal and professional life. Kaur says she found value in just about every class she took at Ivy Tech. Especially her English courses, where she re-learned essay writing more comprehensibly. Overall, Kaur says the term “it is what you make it” is especially true at Ivy Tech Indianapolis.
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“I remember a teacher told me that you'll find that in high school, you'll have support from people who want to help you even though you don't want to help yourself. But when you're in college, you have to be able to help yourself in order for people to want to jump in and help you. I think that was so true of what happened at Ivy Tech,” Kaur explained. Kaur says the faculty at Ivy Tech Indianapolis was always ready to help, and they never made her feel rushed to understand something. Instead, they granted her grace and shared different ways of completing assignments and understanding lessons. And when she was doing exceptionally well in a class, they encouraged her behavior and made her feel seen. “I think Ivy Tech professors and adjuncts do a great job of keeping an eye on those students that are actually trying and making an effort and then telling them, 'we see you, and we're here for you, and know that we have all the resources, tools, and all the time in the world to help you succeed.' And they did just that,” Kaur said. Kaur went on to be part of several clubs and organizations at Ivy Tech with the encouragement of peers and faculty. Kaur became the president of Phi Theta Kappa. She was a Phi Beta Kappa Society member and a Business Honor Society member. She served as a student advisor for Dr. Cynthia Porter Rickert, a psychology professor on the Indianapolis campus, who became a close mentor to Kaur. “I got lucky with the fact that I had many female mentors while I was at Ivy Tech,” Kaur said. After graduating from Ivy Tech in 2013, Kaur earned her Bachelor of Science from the
Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and later her Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University. Kaur interned for the City of Indianapolis and worked as an Honors Program Coordinator at Ivy Tech Indianapolis. Kaur went on to work for the United Nations as an apprentice and most recently landed at Fourwinds Tours & Travel as the Director of Operations and Development. “Ivy Tech is a firm step on a shaky ladder,” Kaur began. “I was allowed a second chance, and I was allowed a fresh start to build my own foundation with professors and advisors who actually cared. They understand that people come from all walks of life and that it's okay to use an alternative educational method to apply and bring yourself up to speed with the rest of the world,” Kaur said. “Ivy Tech does a great job of actually understanding that not everyone gets to start the race at the same time. There are underlying privileges and advantages for some students that aren't always allotted to others.”
I vy T ech pr ofe ss o rs and adj u nc ts do a g r ea t job of kee p ing an e y e on t ho s e stu den ts w ho a r e ac tu all y tr y ing and making an effo rt and t hen t elling t hem , ' w e s ee y o u and w e ' r e he r e fo r y o u .'
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Discovering the Solution to Homelessness
B igge r V i s i on F i lms C i n e m a to g r a p he r T i m H a s h ko , AAS ' 08 , i s g r a t ef ul f or I vy T ech ad v i sors w h o he lp ed hi m r e m e m be r hi s chi l dh oo d d r ea m w hi l e g ro w i n g up i n t he S o v ie t U n i on .
Documentarians often take years to film, produce, and edit a body of work. Tim Hashko, a cinematographer working in the documentary industry, is no exception. “Beyond the Bridge: A Solution To Homelessness,” a highly-anticipated project Hashko has been working on, took
the last four years to film. He’s currently in the postproduction process, editing the film, which will take another year to finish. “We decided to start walking down this path back in 2017,” Hashko said. “So that's how long it takes to develop ideas, to build a network of supporters, and fundraise.”
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Hashko has grown accustomed to systems and processes requiring longevity so much that it might be built into his persona. “It's a two-year school, but I went to Ivy Tech for five years. So I was a full-time student,” Hashko said. Hashko, from the Eastern European country Belarus, grew up during the Soviet Union. Following its collapse, he traveled to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 1998, settling in with a host family in Whiteland, IN. After moving back to Belarus in 1999, he would return in the summers. Then, in 2003, he permanently moved to the U.S. and settled in Indianapolis, where he began his higher education journey at Ivy Tech. Hashko wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. The international student advisor at the time suggested visual communications, and he said, “Sure.” One of the first classes Hashko took was Introduction to Video, instructed by John Perez, who is now Ivy Tech’s Program Chair of Visual Communications. “I took that class ... and I was reminded of my childhood dream,” Hashko said. “A dream that I had to become a filmmaker.” “I remember I was watching the Oscars ceremonies as a kid,” Hashko started saying, reminiscing. “Occasionally, things like the Oscars, they would show them, and I would be looking at those worlds and thinking, ‘wow, this is cool. I would like to be a part of it.’ But, you know, as I grew up, got a little bit older, the dream was quickly forgotten. Because over there, people don’t tell you
“ I vy T ech gi v e s y o u a fo u nda t ion if y o u s eek i t .”
that you can be anything you want. It’s only when you come to America they start to tell you, ‘oh, you can be whatever you want.’” Hashko said that as long as he was in school, he could stay in the U.S. legally with a student visa. He didn’t skate by, by any means, and over the course of five years, he maintained 12- credit hour semesters, enrolled in a wide variety of courses, learned how to draw, and graduated with two degrees. Both of his associate degrees from Ivy Tech were in visual communications, one for graphic design and the other for web design. “Ivy Tech gives you a foundation if you seek it,” Hashko said. “I came into this world of visual communications and design and didn’t have any background in that. So for me, somebody needed to explain the very basics.”
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During his time at Ivy Tech Indy, he appreciated his professors, such as Perez, Rebecca Bilbrey, Allen Lewis, and Stephanie Robertson, for their patience and thoroughness. He recalled pushing off a Basics to Drawing course because he harbored some pretty harsh childhood memories. “Growing up in the Soviet Union, everybody told me, ‘you cannot draw!’ And I remember I was just terrified of it. And I delayed taking that class,” Hashko said. Hashko says by the end of the semester, he was drawing sketches of his photos. “If only somebody had explained drawing to me like that when I was a kid,” he said. “[Other professors] tell you ‘go and do it.’ And then you have to figure everything out by yourself. At Ivy Tech, I felt like if I had a question and they really needed to explain it several times, they would,” Hashko said of his experience at Ivy Tech. “I really enjoyed it.” Hashko went on to work as a freelance wedding and corporate event photographer and videographer while simultaneously working in the service industry. Hashko was introduced to the world of homelessness and the people impacted by the systemic issue when he met Indiana- based filmmaker Don Sawyer, the founder of “Bigger Vision Films.” Sawyer had just finished filming “Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of Homelessness,” about the closing of an encampment in Indianapolis in 2013, and asked for Hashko’s aid in gathering b-roll footage.
“The film made a splash. A little bit here in Indianapolis, but more importantly, on the national stage. It was very popular,” Hashko said. “A lot of communities wanted to screen it because it showed what happens to people who live in the streets, in camps. It was an Indianapolis story, but it resonated throughout the country because that is a story that happens everywhere.” Under the Bridge was shown all over the country in places like the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington D.C. and Harvard University. One day, after a showing of the documentary at Landmark Theater in Indianapolis, there was a Q&A. Hashko recalled that someone stood up and said, “Thanks for showing us the problem, but what do you suggest we do?” This was a question Hashko says was echoed throughout the entire tour. And this one question became the catalyst for their latest documentary, Beyond the Bridge: A Solution To Homelessness, in which Sawyer and Hashko attempt to find solutions to American homelessness. “Any social issue doesn’t have an easy solution,” Hashko said. “The easy answer is housing. But there is a lot of nuisance there.”
Tim Hashko (right) poses with Don Sawyer (left), founder of Bigger Vision Films
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Resources find that having a housing-first philosophy is the best evidence-based solution to homelessness. Often, institutions and agencies have a resources-first model, which has been shown and proven to be a failed method. The housing-first approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything else. Resources-first approaches provide services for mental health, recovery support, and other such aides in order to get to the root cause of someone’s particular struggle that is leading to them being houseless. “It’s never black and white,” Hashko said. “A lot of people say they are doing housing first, resources second, but they are not … Housing-first is just saying ‘Listen. Let’s not worry about fixing a person. Let’s just help them live in a place, get them into a place, and then whatever they need afterward, we will support them.’” Altogether, it's been about six years since Bigger Vision Films started working on Beyond The Bridge. You can learn more about the documentary and watch behind-the-scenes footage on their YouTube page. They look forward to a late 2023 or early 2024 release date, followed by a tour consisting of watch parties. You can watch Under the Bridge on Amazon Prime. Keep up with Bigger Vision Films, Hashko, and Sawyer on their website at https://asolutiontohomelessness.com/
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Issue 27 | 234
Indy's Digital Illustrator: Shaunt'e Lewis
A w a r d - w inning and na t ionall y - r ecogni z ed a rt i st S ha u n t ’ e L e w i s r eflec ts on he r I vy T ech I ndiana p oli s st a rt t ha t led t o w o r king w i t h com p anie s like NCAA , I nd y 500 , N o r d str om , and M eije r .
Shortly after moving from Atlanta, GA, to Indianapolis in 2011, Lewis enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis to pursue a degree in General Studies with the intention of going to the Herron School of Art and Design afterward. In her early 30s, Lewis felt going to Ivy Tech Indianapolis would be a good transition back into school. “I got to meet a lot of different people. I was one of the older people in class
… so, I felt like I had a little more life experience, but I was still new to the art world. So it opened my eyes to different things and viewing art in a different way,” Lewis described. Lewis says that although she was one of a few older students in art classes at Ivy Tech Indianapolis, she learned a lot from her younger peers. “There's always something to learn from everyone. No matter what age they are.
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" T he r e ' s al w a y s s ome t hing t o lea r n f r om e v e r y one . N o ma tt e r w ha t age t he y a r e ."
S ha u n t ' e L e w i s
Even younger people,” Lewis said of her experience at Ivy Tech Indianapolis. “You might think that you could be a mentor or teacher, but they can also be a mentor or teacher to you and teach you something.”
Lewis began being a full time artist in January 2021.
“And within four months, I hit my financial goal for the year. And I was like, ‘there's no going back,’” Lewis said, laughing. “It's been amazing. I'm living my best life.”
Lewis has completed artwork for big-name companies such as Makers Mark, NCAA, Indy 500, and Meijer, to name a few. She has been featured in The New York Times, Complex Magazine, and several local publications. Lewis has also created artwork for her alma mater by painting a mural inside the Ivy Tech Career Center and creating a digital illustration entitled “Transcending Boundaries.”
Her biggest advice to students seeking to be full-time working artists is to be open-minded with the directions you decide to take as you start your career. “When I first started doing art, I thought I was going to be painting in my studio,” Lewis said. “I never thought I would be more of a digital illustrator. That was not even a thought in my mind. But I was open-minded to learn new things, experiment, and take on commissions.”
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Donors
A More Impactful Way to Share
“ T hi s i s a v e r y e x ci t i n g t i m e to be i n v ol v ed w i t h t he ca mpus .”
L ead T rust ee A nn M e r kel on
W h y S he G i v e s
Ann Merkel and her husband Mike supported Ivy Tech Community College-Indianapolis for nearly 10 years before she became the campus Board of Trustees Chair in 2022. “Neither one of us graduated from Ivy Tech,” Merkel said of she and her husband, “but we can have an impact on the students here that we could not have donating to our actual alma maters.” The Merkels began donating to Ivy Tech’s Culinary Arts program after going to an Evening in Paris at Ivy Tech. Evening in Paris was a once-annual fundraising event in support of student scholarships that afforded culinary students the opportunity to continue their studies in Europe.
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Being with the bank since its infancy, Merkel has worked in various roles, each allowing her to take the skills she has acquired and do what she loves the most – helping central Indiana communities. Because of this, Merkel is most excited about Ivy Tech Indianapolis' unique position to propel not only central Indiana forward but the entire state. “This is a very exciting time to be involved with the campus,” Merkel started. “Campus leadership, faculty, and staff all have a really critical opportunity to help move our state into the future,” she said. “ We’re in a unique position to be able to lead in education and post-secondary education. And I’m very excited to use those relationships that I’ve built over the years in the community to help support the campus in building relationships and partnerships as well.” Soon, the couple couldn’t help but become more involved. Merkel joined the Circle of Ivy, a women's philanthropy group that creates resources and raises funds to diminish barriers to higher education for Ivy Tech students. The pair then started getting involved with special projects and funding scholarships for Ivy Tech’s Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP).
“It's been very exciting for us and very fulfilling to be able to engage with a different type of giving. It's not just one option. Ivy Tech offers donors and potential donors a lot of ways to connect and support the programs there at the College,” Merkel said. “I think it’s a more impactful way to share.” As The National Bank of Indianapolis’ Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, with a nearly 30-year-long tenure with the institution, Merkel says she has had a plethora of experiences.
“ T he p a rtn e rs hi ps t ha t a r e bei n g de v e lop ed be t w ee n I vy T ech ' s I n dia n a pol i s ca mpus a n d e mplo y e rs i n our a r ea , a s w e ll a s ot he r cha r i t ab l e or ga n i z a t i ons … a r e g o i n g to be k e y to our abi l i t y to not onl y ed u ca t e b ut pro v ide t he t y p e o f support i v e e n v i ronm e nt t ha t w i ll m a k e our stu de nts su cce ss f ul .”
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Urban Nature Run Leads to New Horizons
“ I had t he be n efi t o f r ecei v i n g s ch ol a rs hi ps w he n I w a s g o i n g to post - s ec on da r y ed u ca t i on . I w a nt to be ab l e to he lp pro v ide t ha t f or ot he rs .” W a t e r r e s o ur ce s enginee r ’ s ligh t - b u lb momen t c r ea t e s s chola rs hi p o pp o rtu ni t y fo r I nd y ’ s u nde rpr i v ileged and t omo rr o w ’ s w o r kfo r ce . Cherylynn Schilling loves being in nature. It's the driving force behind her career as a water resources engineer. Although some may think otherwise, living near downtown Indianapolis doesn’t inhibit Schilling’s call to be near water and nature. Schilling’s favorite part of Ivy Tech Community College’s Indianapolis campus is its presence in urban nature. “It's that proximity to Fall Creek,” Schilling said. “I just love being able to stop on the
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“A school like a community college is where I want to help folks go because they’re a lot more accessible, and the barrier to entry is a lot less,” Schilling said. “It could just really change someone's life.” The LOIS scholarship is named after Schilling’s grandmother, and the acronym stands for “Lifting Our Indianapolis Students.” “That was my grandma's name,” Schilling said. “She was the most caring person who loved everybody and welcomed everybody. She was a would-do-anything-for-anybody kind of person.” Although Schilling comes from a single- parent household, she says she had a strong support system growing up in southeast Indiana between her father, grandparents, and her aunt and uncle. “We were literally like a little community out in the country,” Schilling chuckled. “Even though we didn't have a ton of money, at the very least, I had family members – a whole community – that supported me. They were willing to do whatever they needed to do to eliminate any barriers in the way of being able to do well in school. So I always had a roof over my head, food on the table, and family members that would help me with classes if I needed it.” Schilling said she scraped up every dollar she could to attend college, and that included applying for scholarships. “I had the benefit of receiving scholarships when I was going to post-secondary education. So, I want to be able to help provide that for others,” Schilling said.
bridges crossing the street and look at all this nature that's happening right smack dab in the middle of our city.” While on a run one day in 2022, Schilling had a light bulb moment of colliding two of her missions into one initiative. She was rounding the south side of Fall Creek Trail, near Ivy Tech Indianapolis, when she realized she could give back and help build the pipeline for future engineers by donating to Ivy Tech Indianapolis. “I had already felt compelled at this point to generally give a scholarship opportunity or some sort of financial assistance to folks that wanted to improve their lives,” Schilling said. “And I was like, ‘you know, what better way to impact the community that I live in than giving to this school that I can almost see from my house?’” Because of her passion for engineering, construction, and trades, Schilling formed the LOIS Scholarship in 2023. The scholarship is awarded to an Indianapolis student from a low-income, underrepresented community who is pursuing an engineering or construction- related career path. “A lot relies on folks that can be technicians or work construction. Like a lot of industries, there needs to be a pipeline for that. And there are a lot of really great opportunities to make a career for yourself in this field,” Schilling said. Through the LOIS Scholarship, Schilling’s hope is it provides someone with a chance to get into a stable and fulfilling career. The scholarship will be available to award in fall 2023.
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BOUBACAR CHERIF BALDE CHOOSES EDUCATION
Students
Boubacar Cherif Balde’s mother gave birth to her at just 13 in the village of Fulani in Guinea. Child marriage is one of the biggest challenges in West and Central Africa. The region is home to six of 10 countries with the highest child marriage prevalence levels globally, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). In Guinea, 47% of children are married before age 18, and 17% are married before 15. In 2019, at just 17, Balde traveled to America to live with her father in Indianapolis in the pursuit of continuing her education and steering clear of forced marriage. “I didn't know my father when I come here,” Balde said. “So, it was my first time meeting with him.” Balde enrolled in the Newcomer Program at Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS),
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where students in grades six through nine who are new to the United States learn English while also taking core classes. Although Balde had already earned her high school diploma in Guinea, she had to pass a few tests, including the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), to advance to college. Unfortunately, after just three months at the Newcomer Program, Balde’s father kicked her out of HIS house and tried to get her to go back to Africa. "I wanted to be here and continue my education because I know when I go back to Guinea, I wouldn't have all the opportunities that I'm having right here,” Balde said. “I didn't want to be confronted with marriage and a lot of trauma back in my country.” At this point, Balde’s knowledge of English is minimal at best. But, with her determination and drive to remain in the U.S., she found refuge with the director of the Newcomer Program at that time, who took Balde in while she finished her studies. When she was set to attend George Washington High School, Balde took her third attempt at the college assessment test and passed, allowing her to enroll at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. Making a campus & community impact Over the last three years, while consistently looking for stable housing and moving from one host family to another, Boubacar has maintained a spectacular academic standing with Ivy Tech Indianapolis and stacking up a long list of accomplishments. Balde is a student ambassador for Honor’s College, the Indiana Region President of Phi Theta Kappa, and an executive member of the Student Government Association. She proudly works as a front desk receptionist for the office of Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann, where Balde says she has had the opportunity to be in rooms she otherwise wouldn’t be in and has learned how to improve her leadership skills. However, Balde’s most treasured accomplishment is her work giving back to the communities she loves: her native Fulani tribe and Indianapolis. She has been able to give back to both communities in intelligently clever ways, including writing her first children’s book, “Savvy Yazzy.” “Ivy Tech helped me a lot,” Balde said about the production of Savvy Yazzy. Thanks to the excess financial aid that Ivy Tech helped her find, she had some
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money left over. It was with the extra cash that Balde was able to have her books printed. “I didn't want to go shopping. I was like, you know, I want to do something impactful not only for me but trying to help the community,” Balde said. Through Savvy Yazzy, Balde shares the beauty in her Fulani heritage with English readers. Plus, with every sale, Balde donates a portion of the proceeds to IPS’ Newcomer Program. Since it was published in September, Balde says she has been able to donate a few hundred dollars to the program. In addition to sharing her Fulani culture with American readers and donating money to the Newcomer Program, Balde volunteers weekly at the Newcomer Program, where she often brings clothes, books, and other items that she will buy with her paychecks or that are donated by some of her colleagues for the children.
“I try to bring them something for free, like maybe candy, bookmarks, pencils; really anything,” Balde said. Balde says the most impactful part of being at Ivy Tech Indy, amongst many, was having the opportunity to take college courses while continuing her English classes. And second, Honor’s College. After graduating from Ivy Tech Indianapolis this summer, Balde plans to move on to an Indiana-based four-year school and continue with the Honor’s College program. Balde’s goal for the future is to continue on the International Relations track and eventually become an ambassador for Guinea to advocate for women’s rights. “I want to help women in my country. I want to help them to be educated. Show them that we women in Africa, we can be leaders and raise our voices,” Balde said. “I want to fight for that and help them to understand that we women are capable.”
24 | Ivy Indy
One Student's Mission to Build Personable Recovery Centers
Qiana McClelland, 43, recently established a non-profit called "The Passover." It's the first step in her plan to open an addiction treatment center and, eventually, recovery homes. "I've been in plenty (of recovery homes). That's why I want to make a difference," McClelland said. McClelland was formerly drug-dependent and first started taking drugs at just 15 years old. McClelland, a native of Indianapolis' south side, was on drugs for 20 years.
Today, McClelland celebrates over 18 years of sobriety. She stopped taking drugs the same day she gave birth to her now 18-year-old son. "So every day he grows, I grow also," she said. McClelland now has four children, who inspire her daily to stay clean. One of the biggest lessons McClelland has learned in her life thus far is never to take anything for granted. "You can be gone like right now," she said. "Never take the people you love for granted or those that love you.
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Because sometimes people will love you without you really knowing it. And you turn, and they gone and you never got a chance to really feel or interact with that love." "People don't know that drug addicts, they form packs," McClelland continued, "and out of my pack, I'm the only one still living."
a Nina Scholar, a National Society of Leadership and Success member, and works in Student Life. After obtaining her associate's in health services, McClelland will stay on at Ivy Tech to earn certifications in addiction services, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. McClelland says she couldn't imagine continuing her education at any other institution. Especially an institution that would be as patient with her as Ivy Tech has proven to be. After being in the hospital for 121 days with COVID-19 in 2020, McClelland has suffered extreme post-COVID symptoms like shortness of breath and memory loss ever since. Which, of course, makes getting to classes and studying a challenge. "I've had to utilize my resources, like TRIO. And I have four tutors," McClelland said. McClelland's dream is to open at least 10 recovery centers and homes in Indiana, where drug overdose deaths have been on the rise for nearly two decades. "The facilities here in Indiana are basically jail or mental hospitals," McClelland said. "We recover through skill and passion," McClelland continued. "I want you to open up – go to the art room, go to the dance room. I want you to sing if you have to, paint if you have to, garden, play with animals, and bring your children. I want to be able to have rooms for my clients to where, hey, if one weekend you completed all your programs, have the kids over. Let them spend the night," she continued. "So when you do leave, you're already acclimated to the outside."
" I vy T ech ha s bee n m y pl a t f orm to g ro w a n d su cceed ."
McClelland obtained her high school diploma after graduating from The Excel Center in May 2021. Finishing high school wasn't something she ever thought she'd do, much less attend college. "I mean, my whole entire life, I've used drugs. I never thought I was good enough," McClelland said. "It felt so good ... I'm telling you, it felt so good to graduate high school." So, when Summer Gooding, assistant director of admissions and recruiting at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, approached McClelland at her graduation, wondering what her next move was, McClelland didn't have an answer for her. She was too busy trying to take in the fact she had just achieved a diploma, something she never thought would be attainable. McClelland now describes the moment Gooding approached her with an opportunity to attend Ivy Tech as "the best thing that has ever happened to me." By August 2021, McClelland was enrolled at Ivy Tech Indy to study health services. And she has taken full advantage of every opportunity presented to her as she is now
26 | Ivy Indy
Bringing the Community Together
“ELEVATE: Change Starts Here,” was the focus of the campus’ 2023 Community Celebration on Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2023. ELEVATE helps Marion, Boone, and Hendricks Counties' justice-involved youth and adults achieve a degree or certificate. Ivy Tech Indianapolis raised over $28,000 on the College's inaugural Ivy Tech Day, Tuesday, Apr. 11, 2023! More than 340 gifts were made to our campus during the 24-hour event.
C omm u ni t y C eleb r a t ion
I vy T ech D a y
Ivy Indy hosted its first-ever months-long Campus Read in which students, staff, faculty, and the community read “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row" by Anthony Ray Hinton. The series capped off with a campus visit from the author on Tuesday, Apr. 25, 2023.
C am pus R ead
P l ea s e v i s i t t he I vy I n d y B lo g a t i vy t echce ntr a l i n dia n a . n e w s . b lo g to r ead mor e ab out t he s e e v e nts .
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Innovation + Rigor - Fear = The New MATH 123
2.) Increase MATH 123’s successful completion rate.
“A lot of students that take MATH 123, that's their terminal course; that's the last course they need before they get their degree,” Parson described. “Anecdotally, students wait until the very last semester to take their math course because they're just scared to death of it. And so to be able to sit there and move these students forward is something that's very important to all of us in the department. We want our students to succeed.” Finding the virtual platform that resonated well with Ivy Indy students taking MATH 123 went hand-in-hand with the steady incline of successful completion rates over the last six years. Through trial and error, the math department landed on Knewton Alta as its MATH 123 virtual modality. Since 2018, the course’s successful completion rate has jumped from 55.24% to 78.9% completion rate in the spring 2023 midterm. “That’s huge!” Parson says. “We certainly saw big, big improvements.” Read more about the math department's years-long search for the best higher education platform for quantitative reasoning courses on the Ivy Indy Blog.
Over the last six years, MATH 123- Quantitative Reasoning at Ivy Tech Community College-Indianapolis has had a complete overhaul. Ivy Indy’s Mathematics Department, led by Dorcas Parson, the department chair and an associate professor, set out to do two things in 2017: 1.) Find an effective and efficient online platform for the MATH 123 course. “There were no virtual modalities of MATH 123. There were no online classes for it. It was all in person. And it was paper and pencil tasks; paper and pencil homework. There was nothing online,” Parson said.
28 | Ivy Indy
‘Graduation is only the beginning of our paths’
Commencement, for all Ivy Tech Community College staff and faculty, is our why. This single day, every year, is the culmination of patience, grace, hard work, and care. And most importantly, it is the result of dedication and perseverance – despite all obstacles – on behalf of our students. Ivy Indy graduates face a wide variety of challenges and adversity every day. From graduates like 78- year-old Carol-Ann Lynch Marbach, who began her studies late in life, to Coby Simpson, a graduate who is a survivor of chronic myeloid leukemia, our students prove every day that with hard work and
determination – it is possible. Simpson’s speech reads, in part:
“During my freshman year, I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, an illness that threatened to derail my education and my life. I am here today to tell you that even in the face of such adversity, resilience and determination can overcome even the most challenging circumstances. Throughout my diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, I learned the true meaning of resilience. I realized that the true measure of strength is not simply in the ability to endure but in the willingness to fight back, to rise again and again when knocked down. My experience with leukemia has taught me that even in moments of hardship, there is always a chance for growth, a chance to find new strength, and to become stronger and more resilient than before.
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And so, as we prepare to embark on our individual journeys beyond these walls, let us remember that adversity is inevitable, but it is our response to it that defines us. We must continue to be resilient in the face of challenges and setbacks, to have the courage to embrace the unknown and trust in ourselves that we are capable of great things.” DuJuan McCoy, owner, president, and CEO of Circle City Broadcasting, the parent company of WISH-TV and WNDY-TV, was the 2023 Commencement Keynote Speaker, and he continued with the same theme of hard work and perseverance in his “American Warrior Speech.” McCoy shared that Ivy Indy students are warriors. Despite adversity, our graduates have earned an associate degree, certificate, certifications, and most importantly, an education that can never be taken away from them. McCoy’s speech, reads, in part: “Warriors fight to the finish and they hustle. Just like you all did to get your degrees and graduate today! Congratulations Class of 2023 Ivy Tech Indianapolis campus students. You have all been warriors, so far, by completing this chapter of your life! Let’s not rest on our laurels and just say 'I have my degree.' Let’s go put it to work and DREAM BIG!” We are so thankful for every person who helped our students reach this momentous occasion. Family, friends, professors, neighbors, board members, administrators – community in all – is what helped each of the 3,041 graduating
students make it across the stage to their associate degrees and certificates. The Ivy Tech Indianapolis Class of 2023 is 54% female, 45% male, and 38% students of color, with 50% receiving certificates or certifications and 50% receiving associate’s degrees. And finally, as Simpson said during his speech, this is only beginning for the Class of 2023! “Graduation is only the beginning of our paths, but I know that with the resilience and determination we have developed through our experiences, we will each achieve great things in the years to come.”
30 | Ivy Indy
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A sp ecia l t ha nk y ou to a ll w h o support I vy T ech C ommun i t y C oll ege ’ s I n dia n a pol i s ca mpus t h rou gh t he I vy T ech F oun da t i on , so cie t ie s , l eag u e s , d on a t i ons , s ch ol a rs hi ps , e mplo y e r p a rtn e rs hi ps , a n d ot he r gif ts . I t i s beca us e o f y ou , i n l a r ge p a rt , t ha t our g r ea t ca mpus ca n m a k e t he r e m a rk ab l e i mp ac t i t d o e s each da y .
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