She had grown up in Southern Indiana, but Autumn Lacy hardly remembered the place when she moved back decades later. She was in her 40s, divorced, and finally able to pursue the higher education goals she had long been forced to postpone. But how would Lacy know what career opportunities were available to her, much less how to make professional contacts in a region she last lived in 20 years ago?
“I moved away when I was barely 20,” said Lacy, a Lanesville native. “I didn’t live here as an adult, didn’t raise my family here. There’s a lot that’s changed. I’m having to relearn things about my community. And being a non-traditional college student, one of my biggest worries was not knowing what was going to be available to me.”
Now, thanks to a new program available through Ivy Tech Sellersburg, Lacy and other students like her have a way of discovering just that. A partnership between Ivy Tech and Leadership Southern Indiana, the Navigate initiative engages students with workplaces and professionals outside of the classroom, giving them a firsthand look at potential career options and helping them make valuable contacts with members of the Southern Indiana community.
“We’re excited to partner with Ivy Tech Community College, whose commitment to educating and empowering students aligns closely with our mission. Together, we look forward to providing opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students to gain a deeper understanding of their community and to explore how they can play an active role in shaping its future.” said Mark Eddy, President and CEO of Leadership Southern Indiana.
As these organizations unite to open doors for learners of all backgrounds, the focus turns to ensuring that students not only discover their place within the community but also develop the skills and connections needed for lasting success.
“The goal is not only to build confidence, but build a network of people and information that students can use,” said Madison Angulo, Director of Student Life at Ivy Tech Sellersburg. “A lot of our non-traditional students may lack confidence or have had things happen to them in their educational journey that makes them feel like they have nothing to offer their community. Being able to change that narrative at the community college level is huge for us.”
Finding a different path
Founded in 1981, Leadership Southern Indiana has long worked to build civic understanding and cultivate leaders who strive to understand and address the issues facing their communities. Its programs for emerging leaders, workplace professionals, and high school students have been mainstays for years—though the organization lacked a similar program geared toward college students in the region.
“That was exactly why we wanted to tackle this—it was the only thing they hadn’t filled yet,” Angulo said. “They came to us and asked, ‘Is this something we could fit in?’ We ran with it, and tailored it to programs we already had. We took the concept of our Student Leadership Academy, gave them that curriculum, and began building it from that. It’s very tailored to the point of life that our students are in.”
The inaugural Navigate initiative, a pilot program involving seven Ivy Tech students, consists of six sessions in which participants explore business and leadership concepts through hands-on activities and experiences. It unfolds largely outside of the classroom, with students meeting professionals in their workplaces, along the way making contacts and learning about what opportunities may be available to them beyond Ivy Tech.
Each session within the Navigate program has a theme such as civic and community engagement; economy, workforce and tourism; financial literacy; and health and human services. The program is free, lunch and transportation are provided, and the inaugural chapter of the initiative closes with graduation on April 24th.
It’s already been an eye-opening experience for Lacy. “One thing that’s been reiterated throughout is that no matter where you go in the community, everybody is involved with each other,” she said. “There are people on our council who had no desire to be in politics, but they got involved because they wanted to make a difference. There are employers that cater to all kinds of different people. Jeffersonville is a big port, which I never really thought about. So being able to bridge the gap and see how things work gives you a greater appreciation for what your community is trying to do.”
That’s exactly the intent. “With the community college demographic, our students don't always know all the options that are out there, and they don't know how people get plugged into their community with different degree levels,” Angulo said. “One of the biggest takeaways can be seeing how a police chief who has a bachelor’s degree got started with an associate’s degree at Ivy Tech. The more we get them out into the community, the more they can see the different pathways available.”
Flourishing beyond her dreams
Lacy never felt comfortable with the typical college experience. She returned to school after raising her children and going through a tough marriage, often feeling out of place around younger students. However, Ivy Tech is designed for people like her, and she has excelled in Sellersburg—earning top grades, participating in student leadership, and working toward an associate’s degree in general studies that prepared her for a nuclear medicine tech program.
“This environment has allowed me, in some ways, to flourish beyond my dreams,” she said.
And Navigate prepares her for what comes next. The program has helped give Lacy an idea of options she would have with her degree, ranging from working in a travel program to helping veterans in a VA hospital. “It highlights things I never would have thought of,” she added. And just as important, it helps her make professional contacts who can become resources when she needs them in her life after Ivy Tech.
“It’s showing them they have a voice, and that the ability to go and talk to those people is always there,” Angulo said. “I love that our students are feeling confident enough to contact these people and know who in their community is at their disposal.”
Ivy Tech Sellersburg is laying the groundwork for next year’s Navigate program, which Angulo hopes will expand to accommodate between 15 and 30 students. The program’s inaugural edition has already had transformational effects on students like Lacy, who now views the community around her far more comprehensively than before.
“This platform allows us as students to see things in a different light,” she said. “It allows us to get behind the scenes, see the wheels turning, and learn the thought processes behind it. It helps us relate.”
Are you or a loved one interested in participating in the Navigate program offered by Ivy Tech Sellersburg and Leadership Southern Indiana? Contact Student Life at Ivy Tech Sellersburg by phone at (812) 248-2605, by email at Sellersburg-SudentLife@IvyTech.edu, or visit their website at ivytech.edu/sellersburg
