S4E4: A Ball State Student Brings Her Perspective to the Board of Trustees (Hope Churchill, Student Representative, Ball State Board of Trustees)

Hope Churchill is a senior studying business administration in our Miller College of Business. She’s also our current student representative on the Board of Trustees. In this role, Hope serves as the voice of her peers, advocating for her fellow Ball State students and bringing their perspectives to the board. 

As she prepares to graduate in May, Hope reflects on her Ball State journey and her service to our University. She shares how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced her high school and college experiences—and how more students on campus are stepping up as leaders now that the pandemic has receded. 

When asked what she loves most about Ball State, Hope also shares her appreciation for the University’s distinct culture, which is shaped by the Midwestern hospitality of our faculty, staff, and students and a shared commitment to the Beneficence Pledge. 

If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review to support the show. 

Transcript

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Hello, I'm Geoff Mearns, and I have the good fortune to serve as the president here at Ball State University. I've invited a special guest to join me in a conversation for this episode of my podcast, a guest who's going to shed some light on what it's like to be a student at Ball State today. My guest is Hope Churchill.

Hope serves as a member of our university's Board of Trustees. She is a senior studying business administration in our Miller College of Business. She's also pursuing minors in communication studies and human resource management. Throughout her undergraduate experience, Hope has served on a number of organizations on campus. She's the chapter president for Delta Sigma Pi, a coed professional business fraternity, as well as Chi Alpha, a campus Christian club, and the Ball State Tennis Club.

Hope also currently serves as the Member Relations Chair on behalf of the University Student Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. In this episode, I'm going to ask Hope about how the Covid 19 pandemic influenced her high school experience and her college experience, and the experiences of her peers. I'll also ask her what inspired her to apply to become a member of our Board of Trustees, and what she appreciates most in her role of serving as the voice of our students.

So Hope, thank you for joining me in the studio today.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yes. Thank you. I'm so grateful and honored to be here.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Well, it's great to have you. And so the folks who listen to my podcast on a regular basis, they know that I like to begin and end each of my episodes with the same questions. So to start, why don't you tell us a little more about where you were born and where you were raised and your family?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. So I'm originally from northwest Indiana, a small town called Lake Village. It's very close to the Indiana/Illinois border. So I was actually born in Illinois. I grew up on a family farm. I am the youngest of three girls. So my oldest sister, Morgan, her and her husband, Evan, are going to be taking over our family farm for my parents, Rob and Rhonda Churchill.

And yeah, so it's been a great opportunity to be here at Ball State. I think that coming here was a little scary, but growing up, having those values instilled in me of being, growing up from a farm has been really grateful and really helpful for my opportunities.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So how long is this farm been in your family?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, that's a great question. So I'm fourth generation, so I wish I could tell you how many years, but I don't know. But my sisters and I are fourth generation.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So that means it was founded by your great-great grandparents?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yes.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

How large is your family farm?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, it's a pretty big operation. So we farm mostly in Newton and Lee County, but we also farm a little bit in Illinois.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So how many acres?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, quite a few.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

A big number. 

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]

When you were growing up, did you also work on the family farm?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. So I did not. I really just helped my mom with other things. I was pretty involved in school and sports and things like that. My older sister was actually the one who helped and did those things during her high school years. So my dad really encouraged. It's, he's kind of old school, so you would think that it would be the boy that would take over the farm. But since I'm the youngest of three girls, it was my older sister that kind of fell into that responsibility.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So now I understand... I've never been to Lake Village, but I understand it's pretty close to another public university in the state, the one that's located in West Lafayette.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yep.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

And your family has some ties to Purdue. Tell us about those ties and how you decided to come here to Ball State.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, absolutely. So Lake Village is about 45 minutes from West Lafayette. So I always grew up going to basketball camps there. I went to the girls’ volleyball games. Just had a lot of opportunities to be on campus at Purdue. My older sister, Morgan, actually went to Purdue as well. So when I was a senior in high school and kind of debating on where I wanted to go, my family definitely was encouraging me to go to Purdue.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

They were pushing you to go? To follow your sister?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. So I think it would have been a really cool opportunity, but I was excited to branch out and see what else is out there. I think if you would have asked me during, honestly, all of my high school career leading up to my decision of what school, I probably would have told you that I was going to go to Purdue actually.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So what prompted you, in addition to just wanting to look elsewhere, I understand that maybe there was a cousin in your family who had some influence? Tell us about that.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. So my cousin Kelsey, she was a senior at Ball State when I was a senior in high school. So I was thinking about Ball State just because it was an Indiana public institution. So I ended up applying and my cousin was like, just come to here, you know, just come see me at least. And then you can also see what campus is like.

So I took a trip with my mom and my grandma to really go see my cousin. But then we kind of squeezed in a little Ball State tour in there. And so when I was on this tour, I just fell in love with campus. Truly. I think that that just the open spaces, the open areas, all of the things that the tour guide was talking about, the opportunities, the great food also, was really just selling me on it.

And so when I got done with my tour, there was just something that was like, that was home. I felt like I belonged there here at Ball State. And so I still did other tours. I toured Purdue and I was kind of shocked after my tour that even though I had been going there so many times, it just didn't feel right, like I thought I would know campus better.

I thought I would feel more comfortable there since I had done so many things there, but it just didn't really feel like me. And so ultimately, I decided to follow in my cousin's footsteps as well as my aunt and uncle because they are also alumni to come here.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So we want to give a shout out to Kelsey and your aunt and uncle. But you know, I hear so often from students what you said a moment ago that touring campus felt like home. Tell us a little bit more about what you mean by that, and what you felt or saw during that tour.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]       

Yeah, I think that something that, like high school counselors and your parents always say is like, go tour and feel what campus feels like and then you'll know. And I had no idea what that meant until I came to Ball State.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

And it doesn't make sense, does it?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

It doesn't. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]

In the abstract. Until you feel it.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. And there's just something that you can picture yourself on campus, and the things that you hear just has a ring of opportunity to it that make you want to go there and find out what is Ball State's campus and Ball State life even about.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So yeah. So and we'll talk a little bit more about your experience in that respect. But and I want to hear a little bit more about your service and your role as a trustee on the board of trustees. But let's talk about what was happening in the world when you set foot on our campus in the fall of your freshman year.

It was August of 2021. The Covid 19 pandemic was still affecting our campus, our communities, our country and the world. What do you remember about that first semester or those first two semesters here at Ball State?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. When I came to Ball State, we were all still wearing masks. So I think that that was my biggest concern was, was campus life going to be like everything that I had wanted when I was growing up? Everything that I had seen my sisters before they, before Covid hit when they were in college. So I think that what I remember most is just that fear, but also that hope of what was going to happen and what the future is going to look like.

And so it was during my freshman year that we finally got to take our masks off, and students started getting more involved in things like that, but it was definitely a scary time. But I commend Ball State on how they handled the situation. I think that that also factored into my decision of coming to Ball State. Because I could tell that Ball State wanted us to be on campus.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

And we were very committed. We're, you know, as we can talk about, we believe in that on campus experience. It's what happens in the classroom. It's what happens in co-curricular activities and extracurricular activities and even just the informal engagement among our students and other members of campus. So you and your sisters, I think, are pretty close in age, but I understand that the three of you were impacted a little bit differently by the pandemic. Tell our folks a little bit more about that.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. So I was a junior when Covid truly hit.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Junior in high school?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Junior in high school, yes. Thank you. And so my middle sister, Ashley, she was a senior in high school. So when it hit her, it hit pretty hard. I mean, I was still—I still had that hope of that, “Oh, I'd still get my senior prom. I'd still get to have my graduation. And Ashley, a lot of that was ripped away from her. And it was really hard for me to see that and watch her, just because she had accomplished so much in her life and in her high school career. And I was very excited for get to experience those things. And then my older sister, Morgan, she was in college at Purdue, and so she ended up coming home after the pandemic was announced and spring break and things and didn't go back to school.

So I think it hit us all pretty differently. I was very lucky that I still got to have graduation. I still got to go to prom. But I think that watching my sisters and how they handled it just gave me true hope for what could come in my college experience. And it also gave us the opportunity to be a lot closer, being all at home. I know some families struggled with that, but our family just really grew and bonded because of it.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah, but so even in the midst of a, you know, a terrible challenge, there were some, some rays of, of positivity and as you say, a sense of hope for better times ahead.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So certainly when you were, as you say, both in high school and then here in your first year at Ball State, the pandemic was still here. Those weren't easy. And I suspect there were aspects of that experience that you will remember for a long time. So tell me now, in the time that you've been here, so in those three plus years, what changes have you observed on campus as the pandemic has receded into the into our collective rearview?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]        

Yeah. So I think that, like I said, when I first came to Ball State, it was scary because I didn't know what I was stepping into, not only just because of the transition to college, but because of the Covid pandemic. And I think what was really very exciting for me was that the faculty were very much like, get involved.

We know, we know these things are going on. We have protocols in place wearing masks, all that kind of thing. But try to get involved. And so I think for me it was very helpful. So I did get involved really quickly, but others did not. And so now that we're kind of pulling out of the pandemic pretty much completely, we're back to the pre-pandemic numbers.

I'm seeing that so many more students are involved, especially students that were in my class that were scared to get involved those first few years. They're totally in it now. Professors are constantly talking about how clubs are just exploding with people. People want to be active. People want to be on campus. You see more people out. There's just so much more lively and activity going on.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. And so this year, for example, the, our job fair. It had the largest number of students in the history of the university. So you know, tell me your reaction when I, when we were in the middle of the pandemic, I kept hearing that the world will never be the same. That we all have to adjust to a new normal. And I was concerned that the new normal was not going to be as engaged as the previous normal was. Do you have a sense that now on campus, the new normal really is much closer to the old normal?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, I think that I do agree that there was, definitely a negative connotation around like the new normal that people would talk about when we were in the pandemic. But like you said, the new normal is very similar to the old normal, but it's almost so much better because people are like, I don't want to go back to being by myself and having to just reach out to people online or virtually. People want to do those in-person conversations and all of that. And so I think it's so much better. And all of us going through that, at least I feel like for my generation, has bonded us so much more, and just created that aspect that we all know it's up to us to do good and to get out there and do those things.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. And I think it's like any time when you lose something, either temporarily or permanently, you gain a greater appreciation for your good fortune. And so I think we're now—we appreciate more the value of those interpersonal relationships, the relationship between a student and a faculty member, a colleague or a community member. So I'm glad to hear that's been your experience too.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yes, definitely. I think, like you said, those connections are just so important. And the business world especially, they're talking about that so much more. And it's been very inspiring for me as a student, but also me as a professional.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. So let's talk a little bit more about how you got involved. You were a sophomore here. You're in your second year when you first heard that our university was seeking students to apply to become the next student trustee on our Board of Trustees. Tell us a little bit about how you learned about that opportunity and what was the application process?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, so it's kind of a funny story. I was actually on the phone with my mom, and I got this random email from Abby Hayworth from Student Life. And I was like, oh, that's probably not important. But I was reading it as my mom was talking to me, probably about something important, I don't really know. And so I kind of just mentioned it to my mom, and I was like, oh, I don't think this is something that would be for me. You know, I'm not in SGA. I don't really know about student government. And my mom was like, “Hope that sounds so cool. Like, you should just go listen, go to the info session and listen to it.”

And so I was like, okay, like my mom hasn't steered me wrong before. I love my mom very much. So I was like, absolutely, you know, I'll just go. So I went to one of Amy Wyse—she was the previous student trustee—I went to one of her info sessions, and everything she talked about was so inspiring. The way that the student trustee got to make an impact, to represent all of the 20 plus thousand students here at Ball State. She just had so many amazing stories that she was sharing with me. I was actually the only person in her info session that day, so I was able to ask her personal questions, understand truly like who she was, why she liked the role. If I would even be a good fit for it. It was very helpful for me to have that one-on-one time.

So after that, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to apply. You know, I don't have to tell anybody if I don't get it, you know. [laughs] So I ended up applying sometime in February, I believe. The application was due at the beginning of March. And so during that process then I went through three rounds of interviews. So, I'm not sure if you remember this, but I actually— you spoke to one of my classes. It was a communication persuasion class. And you talked about your time in the legal industry. And so after that, I waited for all the other students to talk to you because I didn't want anybody else to know, you know.

And so I asked you questions about the student trustee position. And I asked you who would be good for me to talk to you about that. And so following that conversation, I had some really great conversations with Sali Falling and Becca Rice, both on your president's cabinet. And they just really introduced me to what the role was. And so following that, I was like, okay, this is good. That's what I want to do. And so I went through three rounds of interviews, one with the Student Government Association here at Ball State and then two with the governor's office. And I was appointed by Governor Holcomb in, I believe, June of 2023.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. So, thank you for sharing that, that insight about the process. Were you familiar with the role of the board before you got in this process, or was it only through those series of conversations that you became more familiar with what the trustees do?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. I wish I could tell you that I knew what they did beforehand, but I did not. It was really through those conversations, talking to Amy, talking to Sali, talking to yourself, and Becca and also just talking to the Student Government Association through those interviews and things like that. It really gave me an insight into what the role was like, and it allowed me to offer in those interviews, my perspective of what I thought the role was like. So I really did not know until I got into the role what it all entailed.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Well, in the folks who are listening should, should, appreciate here at Ball State, this is a pretty robust process. At other institutions, it's a little more perfunctory. We try to encourage lots of students to apply. We actually send ten names among all of the students who apply. We send ten names down to the governor and as you suggest, then the governor, he and his staff have their own vetting process. So, it's quite an accomplishment for you to be selected among a large and very accomplished group of students. Congratulations.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Thank you. It's been an amazing opportunity.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So, let me then ask you a little bit more, talking about your time as a trustee. So far, it's been a little over a year going on a year and a half. What have you appreciated most about the opportunity? Maybe I'll ask you three questions all at once. What do you appreciate the most? What's been the most difficult aspect of the opportunity? And then what has been your favorite memory or experience, during your 15, 16, 18 months?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, I think I'll start with the last one first. Is that okay?

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Sure. You're my boss. So you can take these questions as much as you want.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

[laughs[ So I think that, for those of you that don't know, when you start a trustee role, you go through an orientation. And so that orientation, looks like sitting down and having meetings with President Mearns and then everyone in his president's cabinet. And so I think that what surprised me and excited me the most was that in every single one of those conversations, including yourself, you all pointed out the windows in your offices.

So I got in there, you sat me down, you said hello, all the things. And then as you're talking, eventually you were like, yeah, this is my office and this is my window, where I get to see students every day. Every single person on your president's cabinet said that. And it was just so inspiring to me that they all talked about how they might not necessarily talk to students every day or have that student engagement aspect, but they get to have that opportunity to see students because every single decision that they make, every single thing they do, impacts us as students in our day to day lives. And it just is so inspiring to me. That like I said, I didn't know anything about how Ball State was governed and now that I've had this role, I've started to understand that, and it just makes such an impact that the top,—the president and his cabinet—care so much about us as students. It's just so inspiring for me.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

We know why we're here.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, absolutely. And I think, what was my—that was probably my favorite experience so far. I think what surprised me, and maybe what's also the most difficult, is sitting in the room with the Board of Trustees has been the most amazing experience I've ever had in my life. Hearing the way that they speak, how they are professional, the kinds of conversations and questions that they ask is just so inspirational to me as a student, as a businessperson.

Having the opportunity to just be in that room and soak it in is life changing. I think that's also the hardest part of being a student trustee. Feeling as though I belong and as though, like my opinion and my input is important to them. But right from the get go, they all every single one of the trustees, the president's cabinet, they all asked me for my opinion and want to hear it.

They open that space for me. I think one of those things that I've struggled with is how to interject myself, because they are just so accomplished that it's hard sometimes. And I've noticed that every single person in the Board of Trustees has made a point to acknowledge me at one point. They'll kind of see that I'll kind of shift in my chair or something like that, or lean forward as if I'm going to say something, but then maybe I get interrupted or something.

They always say, “I think Hope had something to say.” And having advocates like that in that room is just so amazing. And it made the most difficult part a lot more easy for me.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So we have probably, I think it's 5 or 6 meetings during the year, plus a retreat. In advance of each one of those meetings, we send you a large volume of materials for you to review.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

How do you go about, now in your second year, focusing on which materials require more of your attention and which ones are more routine, or do you feel like you've gotten sufficiently comfortable with the role that you can make those kinds of judgments?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, I think... I think, yes. On one hand, I absolutely when I'm scrolling through the books and things like that, I understand what more has an impact on students and what can affect student's day to day life. And so that's what I kind of realized, like, oh, that's where maybe I should have a question, or maybe I should, ask this to make somebody think about how it would impact the students. But also, I think that in those meetings, a lot of time, the way the conversation shifts, sometimes I'll be like, oh, that's so important. I didn't even think about how that could impact this whole business side of Ball State, which then in turn impact students in this way. So I think also the way conversations shift is always towards students, which is very positive for me as a student, also as a student trustee. So yes, I think that it's been very helpful.

The first year everybody told me, your first year is going to be hard. You're going to learn the ropes pretty quickly. That's so true. When I entered that second year, we started the second year off with the board retreat, and I really felt a lot more comfortable, felt like I always knew I was doing a little bit better.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. The only unfortunate thing about the student trustees is they pick the students as they're heading into their third year, their junior year, so they get two years. So by the second year they feel more comfortable. But as soon as they feel more comfortable, they graduate from Ball State whereas opposed to the other trustees, they each get a four year term and sometimes more than one four year term.

So they have a little bit of a of a of an advantage over younger students.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

I think it also keeps it fresh, though, especially for the students, because I've learned so much, and I'd like to think I gave back some in that process. So I think it's a great opportunity to keep those student ideas flowing and bring in more perspectives, like you said, every two years. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. So you've in addition to meeting regularly with your colleagues on the Board of Trustees, you've also had a chance to engage with the members of our Ball State University Foundation Board. And last year, you were invited to share some student insights, insights from a student perspective with them during one of their meetings. And there was a story that I remembered because it really touched on what I think makes our campus culture so distinctive. Do you mind telling that story so the folks who are listening can hear what you shared that day?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. So, I believe I was talking a little bit about why I actually came to Ball State and how there was a conversation that I had with a previous student trustee, Dustin Meeks. For my very first football season, so last football season, I was up in the president's box and I ran into Dustin and somebody was like, hey, hope that's the past student trustee. You should go talk to him. And so I went over to him and we were just kind of chatting, and he had made the comment about the Midwestern hospitality. And I was like, yeah, that is something that totally drew me in to Ball State. Like, I loved it. And he was like, “Yeah, all the nice kids go to Ball State.”

And it kind of took me back and I was like, oh, that's sweet. He's calling me a nice kid, you know? That's so nice. And then I was like, that is so true, though. All those people that have that Midwestern hospitality in them, all those people that care about the people around them, that really show the beneficence pledge, I think go to Ball State, and it just really creates that culture, not only in students, but also in the alumni and friends at Ball State.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah. And I think you now have the perspective to see how that that aspect of our distinctive culture has to be reinforced by those of us who in leadership positions, people who serve on the board of trustees, people who have the good fortune that I do to serve as the president. You mentioned some of the other members of the leadership team. We need to serve. We need to embody those values. We need to reflect those values, to project those values, because that's how we ensure that this very special, distinctive culture that we've inherited is continued on for the next generation.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. And I will say most definitely that you do. I think that, as a student, President Mearns, you're kind of like, “Ahhh the President Mearns, you know ...and now that I've had the opportunity to work with you, it's even more so that I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm talking to President Mearns, because you’re just, the way you embody Ball State as yourself as the president is just so inspiring. And I'm grateful to go to a university that has a president like yourself. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Well, you're very kind. I feel, as you've heard me say on many occasions, every time I stand at a podium, I always say that I have the great good fortune to serve as the president of Ball State, because this is a very special place. And I, remind myself of that every day.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yes, absolutely.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So we've talked a little bit about your experience as a student and about your role as a trustee. I also want to ask some questions now, maybe about that core academic experience. Tell us a little bit more about your academic major and who are the people, faculty and staff here at Ball State who have had a positive influence on you as a student?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. So like I said, I'm a business admin major with minors in HR and communications. So I kept my major very broad, keeping it business admin. So that way I'd have opportunities to see so many different things. And then I actually picked up my communications minor pretty early on in my academic career, just because I love the interpersonal communication, like what we're having right now. Sitting in those classes, getting a different aspect than just the Miller College of Business has been really exciting for me. And then I also picked up my HR minor. Because I wanted to help other people—y passion in life is to help other people find what they're passionate about—and place them into jobs.

So talent acquisition, recruitment, things like that. But I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about some of those mentors, like you said. So the Miller College of Business has a really great program called the Soar Program. And so that's a program where they bring in mentors for their students. And so I was very lucky that my mentor actually is here at Ball State. So my mentor is Kyndra Haggard. She's the associate director of the Career Center. And she has been an amazing mentor and friend to me. She's helped me so much with personal issues, organizations, clubs, things going on in that. She's also a member of Delta Sigma Pi, which I'm a member of. So she's just been absolutely amazing for me.

And she actually helped me in my transition to become the student trustee because she provided my letter of recommendation for it. So I'm very grateful for her. And Jim, the director, Jim McActee—the director of the Career Center, they're both so amazing. And also, Doctor Joel Whitesel, he is a part of the Miller College of Business Student Success Center, and he is just absolutely amazing.

He's the advisor for the Delta Sigma Pi, my business fraternity. He's also just been an a great academic and professor for me. He was the one who really got me involved in a lot of my clubs and organizations. He's always there if I need a helping hand, always someone that I can go to. He started off as my Miller College of Business Soar Class, first one, as my professor, actually, and we've just created that bond in that connection and grown it.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So it's clear to me and to anybody who's listening to this conversation that you are an engaged, involved—you're an outgoing go getter as a student.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Thank you.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

One of the ways in which you've gotten involved, I understand, in the Miller College of Business, is a special student program. Tell us the name of that program and a little bit about, what it's about.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, I think you're referring to GEN:I. Is that what you're referring to? Okay, so actually, I'm not actually a member of GEN:I. I'm just a very, very, very lucky individual who has connections to GEN:I. So GEN:I is an organization out of the Entrepreneurship Center within our Miller College of Business, run by Dr. Rob Mathews and Candy Dodd. And so GEN:I is a club for students to really get involved and understand. It stands for Generation Innovation. So they really talk about all of those things that go with understanding yourself, understanding entrepreneurship and innovation. The program that I got connected to, why I got connected to it, actually, because my mentor, Kyndra Haggard, was a part of Chick Innovate, which is ran by Candy Dodd, also an entrepreneurship mentorship program. So I was in it for the Soar program.

Kyndra was in it for Chick Innovate. So when Candy heard about me receiving the student trustee position, she had kept that connection for a very long time. And so she congratulated me on it. And then she actually reached out and offered me the opportunity to go on their trip with Gen:I.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Where was the trip?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. So the trip was to Disney.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

What is it, the most magical place on Earth?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Absolutely. You got it. Perfect. So Disney has a very, very special place in my heart. I've been going to Disney with my family since I was a little girl. My dad's father actually took my dad and my aunt to Disney when they were kids, and so he unfortunately passed away before my sisters and I were born. So my dad takes us in memory of him, and it really is a home away from home for me.

And so when I got the opportunity to go on the Gen:I trip, Candy really was just like, you're going to get to see the behind the scenes, you're going to get to hear the business aspects of it. And I was like, you know, that sounds awesome. I was like, absolutely, I want to go like, please let me. And she was like, it's perfect because you're a student and you're kind of faculty because of the board of trustees, you'll be able to offer that perspective to the other students. And so I was very, very blessed that I got to go on that trip.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

When was that trip?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. It was March of last year or—

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Or March of this year?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, yeah.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So what was the most memorable part of that experience?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. So I actually decided to go on the trip because I've always wanted to work at Disney. I just, because I have that connection, I've received so much magic from Disney that I wanted to give it back. And so I was like, I'm going to go on this trip. I'm going to see the behind the scenes. I'm going to go in the tunnels and things like that. So that way I, I'm good. I don't have to go to Disney because I was planning on doing the program while I was at Ball State, but with the trustee position, I decided to stay and pick up another minor and things like that. So after the trip, I think just the experience was so filling for me that I was like, yep, I for sure have to go to Disney.

So I'm actually planning on doing the Disney College program now because of that opportunity that I had to go to Disney with the Gen:I Club.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Yeah, that's another special program that they run and our students participate. Yeah. So, you've had some memorable and remarkable experiences here. So what is next? You're graduating in May. Do you have a sense of what lies ahead for you?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah. So like I said, I'm planning on doing the Disney College Program. Applications for that will start in January-ish. So I'm actually going to be doing an internship over the summer from, basically graduation to August when I'll leave for the program, with Barnes and Thornburg, actually. Where Rick Hall and Dustin Meeks work. So I'm going to be an intern for them.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Okay. And do you have a sense of when that internship is over? Is that when you'll then look for maybe full time?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, absolutely. So the hope is definitely going in the HR field. Like I said, helping other people find what they're passionate about. And just helping people find where they belong, I guess.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Well, you're a great role model for them because you certainly have a passion for everything you've experienced in life so far.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Thank you.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

So I now want to kind of, end with the final question. As I telegraphed early on, I like to end with the same question. And that's about something you referred to earlier in our conversation about Beneficence, the Beneficence Pledge, as well as the the Statue of Beneficence, which reflects our enduring values. So Hope, as you, you know as you reflect on beneficence, what which means, you know, doing good for other people through service and philanthropy.

What does beneficence mean to you?

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Yeah, I think that if you would have asked me this, uh, my freshman year, it would be very different than it is today. Serving as the student trustee has really just opened my eyes to what it means to do good for other people. Getting to see all of the benefactors of Ball State, the people who donated money for the Performing Arts Center that's coming up, the Alderdice gates, all of those kinds of things, and just having conversations with the alumni has really just inspired me that doing good for other people starts with yourself and is then expanded out. And all of those opportunities that I have been given not only from Ball State, but just from my family and friends and all that I think inspires me to do good for other people.

And so I'm just grateful that all of the alumni of Ball State are so openly talking about how much they love Ball State, how much Ball State is given to them, and because they've received those opportunities, they want to give of their time and talents to Ball State. And I think that the idea of beneficence is something that's in everyone, inertly— innately, sorry.

But I think that coming to Ball State just shows you how important it is to develop it and grow it and expand it, because it is important to give back to other people.

[GEOFF MEARNS]

Well. So, Hope, thank you so much for joining me for this conversation, and thank you very much for your service to Ball State University.

[HOPE CHURCHILL]

Thank you. It's an amazing opportunity. I'm so grateful.