Congratulations to IUPUI Office of Community Engagement student scholar, Nina Ustymchuk, who is among the 2019 exceptional students who have been honored with the Top 100 award!
Nina serves as a Family, School and Neighborhood Scholar, focusing on community-engaged research.
Some of her work that is being recognized includes an evaluation of Source River West Entrepreneurship Center that she completed in partnership with Dr. Silvia Garcia, Assistant Director of Research at Office of Community Engagement. This evaluation focuses on the center’s influence on prospective entrepreneurs, how efficacious its resources are, possible areas of growth, and its influence on the Near West community as a whole.
Dr. Garcia says, “I’m so proud of her!”
“My involvement with Silvia on this project has really helped me understand what community-engaged research actually means, and how vital it is to include the community within research that sets out to identify issues and provide solutions,” says Ustymchuk.
Ustymchuk adds, “I’ve enjoyed leading and sitting in on interviews, talking with community members, and also learning about the experiences of the people who live in the Near West community and are actively working to improve it through unity and economic support.”