Second year of Rural Scholars Program brings growth and new focus areas

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Launched in the fall of 2024, the Rural Scholars Program has returned for the 2025-26 academic year with a cohort of eight dedicated scholars.

The Rural Scholars Program at the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement matches passionate and skilled IU students with projects that advance the vitality of Indiana’s rural communities. This year, the program has grown in size, adding Belonging, Rural Recovery Co-op Housing, Grant Writing, Environmental History, and Food-as-Medicine scholars.

This year’s group of scholars includes Olivia Novak and Shreya Pandit, who are returning from last year’s inaugural group, and new scholars Brianna Henriquez-Diaz, Sofia Frazee, Ethan Wheeler, Madelyn Kempf, Ellie Albin, and Caley Monnier.

The Rural Scholars Program offers students the unique opportunity to use their knowledge and expertise to support initiatives across the state of Indiana. This year, students are working on a range of projects, from rural placemaking to public health.

“Being from rural Indiana, I’ve seen a lot of really community-minded, really driven people, and they want to make their towns better,” says Madelyn Kempf, this year’s Grant Writing Scholar who hails from Washington, Indiana.

It can be really hard to get experience, and especially starting off so young, I feel so lucky to be able to have that opportunity. And I’m making a direct impact on communities like Brown County.

Shreya Pandit, Rural Health Scholar
Olivia Novak

Oral History Scholar

Major: History and Anthropology, College of Arts + Sciences

Olivia is a returning scholar from the 2024-2025 academic year. She works with the Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program, collecting oral histories of elder Black residents in south central Indiana and documenting locations of historic significance.

Caley Monnier

Food as Medicine Scholar

Major: Human Biology, College of Arts + Sciences

Caley works with the Greene County Health Department to assist with the Food as Medicine program, conducting research into program processes, expansion opportunities, and assisting with distribution events and cooking classes.

Madelyn Kempf

Grant Writing Scholar

Major: Policy Analysis, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Madelyn is supporting grant identification and preparation for quality-of-place initiatives. She will work to support grant writing for placemaking projects in Salem and Paoli, advancing community efforts to obtain funding for murals and public art projects.

Sofia Frazee

Comprehensive Design Scholar

Majors: Comprehensive Design, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design; 
Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Sofia is designing a public gathering space and plaza in downtown Montgomery, finalizing concepts presented by previous comprehensive design classes. She is working closely with faculty and staff from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, as well as key community partners, to collect and prepare data and background information for a variety of comprehensive design contexts.

Ethan Wheeler

Rural Recovery Co-Op Housing Scholar

Major: Law and Public Policy, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Ethan is collaborating with the Indiana Cooperative Development Center and the Hoosier Harm Reduction Coalition to support the development of a network of recovery cooperatives. His work will explore cooperative models that promote sustainable, peer-led recovery support systems. Central to this work will be an effort to revitalize the Hoosier Harm Reduction Coalition, a statewide network connecting harm reduction advocates in rural communities.

Shreya Pandit

Rural Health Scholar

Major: Master of Public Affairs-Health Policy, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Shreya is a returning Rural Scholar from the 2024-2025 academic year and will continue to collaborate with IU departments and local organizations to help develop a community health needs assessment of Brown County, Indiana. The results will guide the creation of a community health improvement plan, a strategic tool aimed at tackling public health challenges, expanding healthcare access, and improving community health outcomes.

Brianna Henriquez-Diaz

Belonging Scholar

Major: Cybersecurity and Global Policy, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering

Brianna will partner with Asociación Latinoamericana del Sur de Indiana (ALASI) to highlight and preserve the stories of Latino pride and resilience in southern Indiana. Brianna will create a bilingual booklet containing histories of Dubois County Latino immigrants and update the Latino Needs Assessment by conducting new interviews and surveys and writing a final report.

Ellie Albin

Environmental History Scholar

Major: Master of Environmental Sustainability, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Ellie has been involved with the center since spring of 2024, and as a Rural Scholar, she is working closely with Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life to produce media, collect oral histories, and research the history of industrial development and community environmental initiatives in the region.

The IU Center for Rural Engagement improves the lives of Hoosiers through collaborative initiatives that discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. Working in full-spectrum community innovation through research, community-engaged teaching and student service, the center builds vision, harnesses assets and cultivates sustainable leadership structures within the communities with which it engages to ensure long-term success.