Traditionally for OVPDEMA Student Features, we highlight an outstanding senior involved with one of the many culture centers on campus, exploring their work and experience at IU. However, for the month of May, we have decided to highlight the five graduating seniors who worked with the OVPDEMA Marketing and Communications Team, discussing their work and most memorable moments with OVPDEMA.
Autumn Schoolman
Major: Journalism
School: The Media School
Role: Photographer
1. What is your most memorable moment at OVPDEMA?
My most memorable moment at OVPDEMA was going to First Nations Annual Powwow for the first time. I signed up to photograph the event and thought it would be cool to attend. When I got there, I had no idea it would be so big. The weather was beautiful, and it was honestly a great time. It made me realize that I should have been attending these events even when I'm not working.
2. What have you learned from OVPDEMA that you think will help you the most in the future?
Through working at OVPDEMA, I learned how to integrate myself with strong groups of people when photographing an event. Before, it was particularly difficult to walk around a room full of people I didn't know and have to take pictures of them. Now, I feel more comfortable in those situations.
3. What was your opinion of OVPDEMA when you started, and how has that opinion changed now that you are graduating?
When I first started with OVPDEMA, I wasn't sure what to expect. I applied for the photography position when I saw an email from the career center and went for it. I ended up really enjoying the photography position.
4. During your time at OVPDEMA, what piece of work are you most proud of?
The photos I'm most proud of are those taken at the First Nations Annual Powwow. The event was so vibrant and beautiful, so it made for amazing photos.
Ashley Renkin
Major: Advertising/Public Relations
School: Media School
Role: Event Ambassador
1. What is your most memorable moment at OVPDEMA?
I would say my most memorable moment at OVPDEMA was attending the philanthropy seminar for IU Day last year. It was so moving and inspirational. It motivated me to live by my truth and pushed me to start living my life the way I needed and wanted to live it.
2. What have you learned from OVPDEMA that you think will help you the most in the future?
The thing I have learned from OVPDEMA that I think will help me most in the future is that you need to have a strong community where you work. I am so comfortable with the people I work with, and having a great boss makes me feel happy to come to work! Working isn't just about getting a task done; in life, you will spend most of your time working, so you need to build a community for yourself. With OVPDEMA, I found that I could come in and be myself, without hiding who I was, without feeling shame for who I am. I love working with a group of people as diverse, quirky, and fun like the people I've found in OVPDEMA.
3. What was your opinion of OVPDEMA when you started, and how has that opinion changed now that you are graduating?
My opinion of OVPDEMA was that I did not have one. I did not have a great idea of what OVPDEMA was except that it celebrates diversity and inclusion. Now that I am involved with OVPDEMA, I know that is not the only thing offered. We offer a space for students to be themselves and have their best time at Indiana University. We set the standard for higher education across the US on how to interact and treat students. We are the face of IU, Indiana, and the US.
4. During your time at OVPDEMA, what piece of work are you most proud of?
Working at OVPDEMA, my most proud piece of work is not necessarily something tangible. I would say that I'm most proud of educating other students around IU about OVPDEMA. Not only do students have more knowledge about OVPDEMA, but they also come to the events and make memories. They learn about valuable life skills, they make new friends, and they get to have fun.
Erik Romero
Major: BA Media with a concentration in Cinematography
School: Media School, College of Arts and Sciences
Role: Videographer for OVPDEMA
1. What is your most memorable moment at OVPDEMA?
My most memorable moment at OVPDEMA would have to be the entirety of the scavenger hunt in the summer. I had a lot of fun working with my team through the clues and heat. Air conditioning and pizza were the ultimate winners that day.
2. What have you learned from OVPDEMA that you think will help you the most in the future?
I've learned a lot about thinking creatively through obstacles both in individual projects and in team efforts.
3. What was your opinion of OVPDEMA when you started, and how has that opinion changed now that you are graduating?
My opinion of OVPDEMA when I began was all-around positive with their professionalism and kind-hearted staff. Now that I'm graduating, I think of my years working with them as time spent with role models.
4. During your time at OVPDEMA, what piece of work are you most proud of?
With my time at OVPDEMA, I'm most proud of the video I created for IU Day 2019 because of the effort it took. I enjoyed the challenge of on the spot thinking for aesthetics and technical aspects.
David Bawi
Major: Law and Public Policy
School: Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Role: Student Ambassador
1. What is your most memorable moment at OVPDEMA?
My most memorable moments at OVPDEMA was when I had the opportunity to be a part of the LGBTQ+ 25th anniversary and the director’s retirement reception. It was a fantastic weekend filled with incredible memories and meeting IU LGBTQ+ alumni. I am grateful to have attended Doug Bauder’s gathering and having the chance to thank him for all he accomplished on our campus.
2. What have you learned from OVPDEMA that you think will help you the most in the future?
One of the most important lessons I learned from my time at OVPDEMA is the ability to connect with different people, meaning that I learned the ability to connect and have dialogues with directors. I also realized the importance of transparency and the benefits of communication.
3. What was your opinion of OVPDEMA when you started, and how has that opinion changed now that you are graduating?
When I started working at OVPDEMA, my opinion of OVPDEMA was that they only focus on events with the student body. However, after working with OVPDEMA, I now realize that OVPDEMA is way more than just for students. Beyond focusing on students, OVPDEMA connects with IU faculty and creates community engagement. Furthermore, I thought that OVPDEMA is only for the IU Bloomington campus. However, I quickly learned the scope of OVPDEMA extends to all of IU campuses across Indiana.
4. During your time at OVPDEMA, what piece of work are you most proud of?
One piece of work that I am most proud of is the posts and interactions I’ve had with the OVPDEMA social media outlets. The nontangible work that I am most proud of is serving as a student ambassador and using my role to inform and connect with my fellow (often) underrepresented students.
Yeeseon Chae
Major: Economic Consulting
School: Kelley School of Business
Role: Student Writer
1. What is your most memorable moment at OVPDEMA?
One of my first assignments was covering the 2019 IU Annual Traditional Powwow, and it's definitely one of my favorite memories working with OVPDEMA. It was such an important event, and I remember feeling nervous because I wanted to capture it well. Still, I was able to learn a lot and see how everything came together by interviewing the people involved. Everyone was so passionate and it was a joyous event.
2. What have you learned from OVPDEMA that you think will help you the most in the future?
Close listening. My job mostly involved talking with a lot of people about identity and learning about how that definition is so different. In a lot of these interviews, the topic is always personal, so I wanted to respect each person's story and give the full depth and weight of what they had to say. Similarly, I went into every event with a conscious way of how I was occupying the space, which is also a kind of listening.
3. What was your opinion of OVPDEMA when you started, and how has that opinion changed now that you are graduating?
My idea of OVPDEMA is much more about the people to me now. When I started, the office seemed almost faceless, and I wasn't aware of the roles that it occupied on the whole campus. Through my past year of experience, it's been getting to know people who work in the OVPDEMA office and each cultural center and org and seeing that there are quite a few individuals on campus trying to make it better.
4. During your time at OVPDEMA, what piece of work are you most proud of?
All of the student profiles!