O’Neill School students, from left, Kortney Wynne, Harold Williams, Braden Crynes, Katy Nelson and Austin Benales are ensuring community safety as interns at the Indiana State Fair. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Braden Crynes, center, is an emergency operations intern and helps with dispatch. His interest in public safety was inspired by his father’s career in law enforcement in Linton, Indiana. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
<picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/31711_20260804_State_Fair_Interns_LK_0688.rev.1786985511.webp 1x" data-origin="responsive"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/31711_20260804_State_Fair_Interns_LK_0688.rev.1786985511.jpg 1x" data-origin="responsive"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/1000/31711_20260804_State_Fair_Interns_LK_0688.rev.1786985511.jpg" width="0" height="0" alt="A student intern sits outside a fair ride on a golf cart holding a walkie talkie" data-optimized="true"/></picture>
Austin Benales is a criminal justice major from Paoli, Indiana. As a public safety intern, he is out and about either in a golf cart or on foot assisting Indiana State Fair attendees, conducting hazard assessments and responding to emergencies. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Interns including Kortney Wynne, left and Katy Nelson make sure the more than 500 fire extinguishers across the fairgrounds are working and up to code. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
For the more than 850,000 people expected to attend the Indiana State Fair during its 15-day run, the magic includes the food, concerts, rides, attractions and more. But in a command room inside the Fall Creek Pavilion, phones and radios are buzzing with incoming messages about lost family members, property damage, animals on the loose and medical emergencies.
IU Indianapolis students Braden Crynes and Harold Williams dreamed of working in public safety since they were kids. Crynes is in the accelerated master’s program, majoring in criminal justice with a minor in public safety management, and Williams is a public policy major. In June, they became emergency operations interns for the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center, learning how to operate the computer-aided dispatch system.
“We are the command for the fair,” Crynes said. “When I started, I did not think that was going to be the case. But as we got closer, I realized that Harold and I are practically running the fair behind the scenes. It’s definitely helped my confidence.”
To prepare, Crynes and Williams participated in a simulation exercise. Fairgrounds staff and public safety interns called and radioed in, reading scripts that mirrored the type of calls command may receive. For 90 minutes, choregraphed chaos ensued, pushing the students to their limits as the volume of simultaneous calls increased.
“You’re going to be there for people on their worst days,” Williams said. “You can change a life within a matter of minutes just based on how you respond. Once we got into the flow of things, I realized that I knew more than I thought. We can’t simulate the entire fair, but the exercise takes your training and applies it.”
Their supervisors, Jennifer Esterline and Logan Kinnett, were once O’Neill students in the same internship, so they know firsthand that the intense pressure of the simulation exercise is the best way to fortify the interns’ skills and build their self-assurance.
Esterline, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2012 and her master’s degree in 2015, and is the director of safety and security at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. When she interned in 2012, a year after a fatal stage collapse at the fairgrounds, she became part of the critical effort to revamp the safety and security program.
Esterline is now a leader in the field, with her culture of safety work being shared across the country and around the world. As an adjunct faculty member at her alma mater, she has mentored many O’Neill students, in and out of the classroom. Kinnett, who previously interned with Esterline in 2018, is her second in command as the associate director of safety and security.
“They’ve been in your exact shoes before, so they can relate,” Williams said. “Since Jenn teaches at O’Neill, she understands the education you come in with. They know where you’re strong and where you need assistance. They’re always pointing you in the right direction.”
That sentiment is echoed by three other O’Neill public safety interns, Austin Benales, Katy Nelson and Kortney Wynne. Benales previously took Esterline’s class and said he appreciates the real responsibility they are given.
The public safety interns conduct hazard assessments that include securing bike racks, carrying 30-pound stanchion bases for the entrance gates and ensuring that tent tie-downs have safety flags to prevent tripping. They also respond to visitor concerns like helping attendees find their cars and providing critical support for emergencies.
Wynne said she attended the fair for many years but never realized the complexity of the operation until now. Nelson credits their O’Neill education for preparing them to “jump straight into practice.”
“The O’Neill program is unique, and the students are exceptionally prepared because they have a solid and practical foundation,” Esterline said. “I think that’s because so many professors have jobs in the field. Being in Indianapolis is unique because there’s a huge public safety presence, so the students have access to more opportunities.”
For Crynes, it is a full-circle moment. Growing up in Linton, Indiana, he would travel to Indianapolis frequently and knew that was where he wanted to be.
“I want to be right in the middle of everything,” Crynes said. “IU Indianapolis is perfect for that; I love it here.”
