From the classroom to climate action: How O’Neill student Ellie Albin is making an impact

When Ellie Albin learned she had been selected as a 2026 McKinney Climate Fellow through Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI), it felt like the next step in a journey she had been building toward for years.

This summer, Albin is partnering with the Brown County Soil & Water Conservation District to produce videos that help local residents better understand the funding, resources, and conservation programs available to them. The project focuses on topics ranging from erosion control and water quality to invasive species management—real-world environmental challenges that affect communities every day.

For Albin, a student in Indiana University’s Master of Environmental Sustainability (MES) program at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the fellowship represents more than a summer opportunity. It is a chance to apply her passion for environmental communication while helping communities take action on sustainability issues.

“Environmental sustainability is one of the most pressing issues facing us as a society in the U.S. right now,” Albin said. “My greatest strength is communication. I really want to communicate how imperative sustainability is to people. It may seem like a complex topic, but I know how to break it down and write and tell people about it.”

That desire to connect people with environmental solutions is what led Albin to O’Neill—and what continues to shape her graduate school experience today.

Finding the right path

As an undergraduate, Albin pursued a degree in journalism while completing a minor in environmental sustainability. When choosing a graduate program, she wanted to deepen her environmental expertise while building the skills necessary to make a broader impact.

She considered several paths. What ultimately drew her to O’Neill’s MES program was its interdisciplinary approach, which blended environmental science with policy, management, leadership, and communication.

“O’Neill offers a lot of environmental programming, which I think really shows you why it’s such a great school of public and environmental affairs,” she said. “It doesn’t just value one end of it. It is really deep into environmental studies here.”

In other words, the MES offered the perfect balance.

Although the program includes rigorous scientific coursework, it also emphasizes environmental policy, governance, management, and decision-making. Students learn not only how environmental systems work, but how to lead organizations, influence policy, engage stakeholders, and implement solutions.

“It pretty much directly aligned with what I needed to achieve in my future career,” she said.

A community united by purpose

Ask Albin what makes O’Neill special, and she doesn’t start with rankings or curriculum. She starts with people.

“Everyone here has a common mission, and that really is serving the public for the greater good, making everything better, making the world a better place,” she said. “That’s who I am. I want to leave a mark on this planet, and I want it to be positive.”

That shared commitment creates a unique learning environment where students from diverse backgrounds come together around a common goal.

Some arrive with experience in government agencies or nonprofit organizations. Others come from private industry, science, communications, or entirely different career paths. The result is a collaborative community where students learn as much from one another as they do from their coursework.

Albin also found faculty and classmates who embraced the perspective she brought to the classroom.

“They believed in me,” she said. “Not only that, they were like, ‘We actually value your journalism background, because you can bring so many new answers and points of view to other people.’”

She credits O’Neill faculty with helping students chart personalized paths toward their goals. One mentor in particular, Professor Vicky Meretsky, helped Albin identify courses, internship opportunities, and professional connections that aligned with her interests.

“She listened to me. She cared,” Albin said. “I felt like O’Neill really recognized that everyone is trying their best. When you put forth that effort, they see it and they reciprocate. They give you grace.”

Learning by doing

Some of Albin’s most valuable learning experiences happened beyond the classroom.

In addition to pursuing her degree, she works as a communications specialist for ERI and previously served as an environmental history scholar with the IU Center for Rural Engagement. The positions have given her opportunities to connect directly with communities across Indiana while building professional experience that complements her academic work.

“What’s great about IU and O’Neill is that you get to build real-world experiences and opportunities while you’re getting your degree,” she said. “The flexibility here is just unmatched.”

Through her work, Albin has traveled throughout southern Indiana documenting oral histories and collaborating with community organizations focused on environmental and public health issues. Those experiences have helped her better understand the challenges communities face—and the local leaders working to address them.

“I’ve gotten experiential learning by traveling to these communities and connecting with the individuals there and learning about their purpose and their mission,” she said.

Now, through the McKinney Climate Fellowship, she will build on those experiences by working directly with a conservation organization dedicated to protecting Indiana’s natural resources.

The fellowship exemplifies the kinds of opportunities available to O’Neill students through partnerships with organizations like ERI—opportunities that allow students to contribute meaningful work while developing the skills and experience employers seek.

“O’Neill is all about finding purpose and doing a mission that will be good for the world,” Albin said.

An innovative program designed for impact

The structure of the MES program also mattered to Albin.

The residential MES can be completed in just 12 months, allowing students to gain advanced expertise and quickly transition into environmental careers. Students begin with an intensive environmental project management course before progressing through a carefully designed curriculum that integrates science, policy, management, and leadership.

“I would describe the Master of Environmental Sustainability program as innovative,” Albin said. “To be able to have the option to come in and do this program basically in 12 months is unparalleled to other universities across the country.”

The curriculum combines required courses with electives and concentration options that allow students to tailor their studies to their career goals. Areas of focus include policy and planning, water resources, urban sustainability, environmental management, and more.

Not every student follows the same path—and that’s intentional.

“Because the program is so well thought out and designed, there is a wide variety of concentrations and coursework within that,” Albin said.

For working professionals seeking additional time and flexibility, O’Neill also offers an Online Master of Environmental Sustainability. The online format provides the same interdisciplinary foundation and access to O’Neill’s faculty expertise as the in-residence MES  while allowing students to continue to advance in their careers and apply what they learn in their current job.

Whether students choose the residential or online pathway, the focus remains the same: preparing leaders who can navigate complex environmental challenges and drive meaningful change.

Preparing the next generation of sustainability leaders

Today’s environmental challenges may be significant, but Albin also sees them as opportunities.

“The biggest environmental challenge the world is currently facing is climate change,” she said. “While that may seem scary, if we hold hands and work together, we really do have solutions.”

She sees evidence of those solutions every day at O’Neill and across Indiana University.

“There are amazing scientists and researchers and students here doing incredible work to make the world not just a safer, healthier place, but a more innovative place,” she said.

As she looks ahead, Albin sees herself joining a growing network of O’Neill graduates working across government, nonprofit organizations, consulting firms, environmental agencies, communications organizations, and private-sector sustainability roles. Her classmates are pursuing equally diverse paths, united by a shared commitment to making a difference.

“The environment is everywhere,” she said. “It is the dirt you touch and the grass you touch and the tree that you see on your way to class.”

Through opportunities like the McKinney Climate Fellowship, hands-on experiences with organizations across Indiana, and a curriculum that bridges science, policy, leadership, and communication, O’Neill’s Master of Environmental Sustainability program empowers students to protect that environment while building meaningful careers.

For students who want to transform their passion into action, Albin believes there is no better place to begin.

Learn more about O’Neill’s Online Master of Environmental Sustainability program and apply by July 15.

About the Environmental Resilience Institute

Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute bridges academia, applied research, and community resilience to deliver the science-informed, equity-centered solutions needed to flourish in a changing climate. Through community partnerships, transformative research, and immersive learning, ERI is creating a more sustainable and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.

About the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

The O’Neill School is a world leader in public and environmental affairs and is the largest school of public administration and public policy in the United States. In the 2026–27 U.S. News & World Report "Best Graduate School" rankings, the O'Neill School's Master of Public Affairs is ranked No. 1 in the nation out of 266 public and private institutions. In addition, the O’Neill School received No. 1 rankings in four specialty areas—environmental policy and management, health policy and management, nonprofit management, and public finance and budgeting, with nine specialties ranked in the top 10.