June 20, 2024

Closing the rural opportunity gap: In conversation with Vichi Jagannathan.

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Vichi Jagannathan is the co-founder of Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI), a startup nonprofit in rural Eastern North Carolina that creates innovative, trauma-informed solutions to build community resilience. Learn more about their work and what it takes to build trust and demonstrate effectiveness against standardized expectations.

Nicole Cardoza: Thank you so much for joining me, Vichi. First, tell me a little bit about you and how you got into the work that you're doing today.
Vichi Jagannathan: I'm Vichi Jagannathan, co-founder of ROI. My co-founder Seth and I started ROI almost seven years ago. We both came to Eastern North Carolina as Teach for America teachers. It was there we witnessed deep-rooted disparities between our students and their urban counterparts. We saw the effects of generational trauma linked to historical injustices, like slavery and racism, perpetuating cycles of stress and misbehavior in schools. But while listening to people's stories, I got to see the resilience embedded in that, whether that through people’s efforts in various civil rights movements – helping to integrate the schools, in a number of cases – how people had lived through multiple hurricanes, and how others were preserving the history of their hometowns. 

It was clear that members of the community were stuck in a cycle of coping with unmanageable stress. Whenever they sought help from various public systems, they were met with punishment, isolation, or blame, which often made things worse. 

Both of us ended up taking jobs in North Carolina after teaching in California, and we were really energized by the innovation and resources out there. But places like rural Eastern North Carolina weren’t provided access to these tools, and it felt like those urban rural disparities were just getting wider and wider. We started ROI to see if we could take some of the resources and methodologies and research and connect them with the people and leaders and resilience of places like Eastern North Carolina.

Nicole: Can you explain what ROI does and how it makes an impact?
Vichi: Our mission is to interrupt cycles of trauma by strengthening existing public infrastructure. We train public providers in trauma-informed and restorative practices. For example, we've introduced biofeedback breathing exercises in schools to help students manage stress, reducing disciplinary issues. We also work with police to reimagine their role in schools as supportive rather than punitive.

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Nicole: How did you build trust within these communities, especially as outsiders?

Vichi: Trust-building was challenging, given the skepticism towards outsiders. A lot of people will cycle through the community through Teach for America and leave. It left leaders frustrated, expecting young people to have good ideas, start something, and leave when a better opportunity came their way. They were understandably a little bit skeptical that this would turn into something sustainable. 

So we kept our process as open as possible. We held community meetings every eight weeks at various public locations, such as libraries, schools, county-provided spaces, or local churches. We invited everyone we knew and encouraged them to bring others. At these meetings, we shared our progress and learnings from the past eight weeks.

One positive aspect of these meetings was that people appreciated our transparency. Often, researchers come in, gather information, and never share the results, leaving the community in the dark. In our case, we kept the community informed by summarizing our findings and outlining our next steps.

This process helped build trust, as attendees could see our progress, ask questions, and understand our methods. By involving them throughout the process, we fostered a sense of inclusion and collaboration.

Nicole: What has surprised you most as this work has unfolded?

Vichi: One of the things that somebody said early on really stuck with us. A pastor in the community said that we’ll know that our work is successful when those who have healed from trauma are now in the position to be healers for others—and they're the ones leading the work, and we're also supporting them from behind. 

Initially, Seth and I led most of the work, but now community members lead training sessions and initiatives. Seeing those who have healed become healers themselves has been incredibly validating, and work in leadership positions at similar organizations. We have a long way to go, but it’s neat to see all the tangible examples of this vision actually unfolding.

Nicole: What are some of the challenges you face in this work?

Vichi: One of the challenges with healing, especially generational healing, is that it doesn't happen overnight. It's not a one-time event; it requires sustained effort without immediate visible improvements. This can make it difficult to keep going, as progress isn't always immediately apparent.

Before COVID-19, we had implemented many of these healing practices in schools and the community, and people were starting to see benefits. However, the pandemic caused significant disruptions, leading to increased violence, fluctuating school attendance, and rising unemployment. These setbacks made some question the effectiveness of our efforts, thinking the practices weren’t working.

The reality is that we haven't been at it long enough to see the full benefits. Challenges will still arise, but the goal is to improve our ability to navigate them. It's been tough to maintain morale and belief in these practices without immediate results, but persistence is crucial.

It's important to remember that everyone experiences trauma and stress, and our nervous systems struggle with this. It's not just about implementing these practices for others; we need to use them ourselves daily. When I neglect them, it affects my sleep, stress levels, and decision-making. To do this work effectively, we all need to commit to these resilience-building practices to ensure their benefits are felt throughout the community.

Nicole: What's inspiring you right now?

Vichi: I'm inspired by the resilience of our community members. One member took time off to heal and recently re-engaged with renewed purpose. Stories like these remind me of the real impact of our work and the importance of perseverance.

For those interested in our work or trainings, visit our website, ruralopportunity.org. We recently launched a toolkit for schools to bill Medicaid for counseling services, which is a valuable resource.

Vichi is the Co-Founder of Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI) where she supports strategy, innovation, and partnerships. After starting her career as a Teach For America high school science teacher in Northampton County, NC, Vichi spent two years expanding Microsoft’s TEALS computer science education program into California. Vichi then worked with the design firm IDEO to develop “Real Talk,” a mobile sex education app with over 10,000 downloads. After graduating from Yale School of Management with her MBA in 2017, Vichi co-founded Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI). Vichi grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York and earned electrical engineering degrees from Princeton and Stanford Universities.