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Alumna Determines Fate of Youth

IUPUI Alumna Determines Fate of Youth Through Advocacy

By: Jadonna Keim

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Kristyn Seibert, IUPUI alumna and former Sam H. Jones scholar

Growing up, Kristyn Seibert was fortunate enough to have her needs met; however, she realized that this was not the case for everyone. During her undergraduate studies, IUPUI offered her opportunities to volunteer and to care for individuals less fortunate. One of these opportunities dealt with vulnerable children facing obstacles who were in need of assistance, and they remain Kristyn’s volunteer focus today.

“I am currently a court appointed special advocate for children through Vanderburgh CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in Evansville, Indiana. This nationwide organization is made up of volunteers who are assigned to court cases for children identified as needing services due to child abuse or neglect,” Kristyn states.

Kids hang flowers on a tree at the Vanderburgh County Courthouse in Evansville, Indiana, after their adoption was finalized.

Kristyn volunteers with peers at the 2011 Cesar Chavez Day of Service event.

Kristyn at the Timmy Global Health event in 2012 at the IUPUI Campus Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Annual CASA Day at the Indiana Statehouse in 2017.

According to CASA's website, more than 250,000 children who have been neglected or abused in the last year had a CASA volunteer speak up for their best interests, and more than 400,000 children still need a volunteer to help them find a safe, loving, and permanent home.

Through CASA, Kristyn makes recommendations that determine the future of a child’s life through reunification, adoption, and sometimes termination of parents' rights. This work is complex, and Kristyn understands the power of her input. She states, “These decisions are never easy, and I often find myself questioning whether I am qualified to make those recommendations.”

I have found that by taking a few minutes out of my everyday life to help the community, I am able to make a small difference or improvement in someone’s life.
Kristyn Seibert

Kristyn’s volunteer work with CASA is intense and weighty, but she pursues “lighter” volunteer opportunities as well. She understands that community work does not have to be grand to be impactful. “I have found that by taking a few minutes out of my everyday life to help the community, I am able to make a small difference or improvement in someone’s life.”

Kristyn attributes her enlightenment regarding community work to her time as an undergraduate student. She explains, “IUPUI and the Center for Service Learning (CSL) really helped me grow from a shy, timid 18-year-old entering college to a more confident leader and volunteer within the community, so becoming a volunteer with CASA was really the quintessence of what I took away from my experiences at IUPUI.”

Working in CSL . . . we were valued as adult thinkers and doers. We had never felt as empowered and supported to create change the way we did as a part of the Sam H. Jones scholarship and CSL.
Cole Johnson, Former Peer of Kristyn's

CSL's mission is to engage students, faculty, staff, and community members in educationally meaningful service to promote learning and development, advance best practices and research, achieve community goals through partnerships, and further the civic engagement mission of IUPUI.

Cole Johnson, a former peer of Kristyn’s, felt deeply impacted by CSL as well. He states:

“Working in CSL . . . we were valued as adult thinkers and doers. We had never felt as empowered and supported to create change the way we did as a part of the Sam H. Jones scholarship and CSL. To this day, after seven years in corporate business, I have never felt as empowered, valued, and capable as I did in CSL. We were able to seek a community partner, listen to the community for their true need through that partner, create a sustainable solution with our peers and CSL, and then implement that solution with the community partner. Strong, direct service that led to change was our motivation.”

To Kristyn, service is “putting others before yourself and making sure they have what they need to be successful.” Advocating on behalf of children without a voice shows Kristyn puts her money where her mouth is. Her commitment to service shows through her many hours spent advocating for children without a voice.

Center for Service and Learning

Together people can achieve impressive things, which is why the Center for Service and Learning (CSL) exists. CSL brings together the citizens of Indianapolis and the students, faculty, and staff at IUPUI to improve people’s lives locally and beyond. Many people at IUPUI and in Indianapolis are already doing important service-related work. CSL partners with them to enhance their endeavors—to develop programs, research, and resources that are educationally meaningful and full of impact.

Sam H. Jones Scholarship

One of the nation’s largest service-based scholarship programs, the Sam H. Jones program was created in 1994 and has awarded more than $1.7 million to more than 890 students. The Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholarship Program recognizes what students have already accomplished—it’s awarded based on exemplary service in the community and done in high school or at IUPUI, but it’s really focused on what students are going to do next.

For more information, contact the Division of Undergraduate Education Office of Communications at duecomm@iu.edu.

IUPUI Alumna Determines Fate of Youth Through Advocacy

Center for Service and Learning

Sam H. Jones Scholarship

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