March 16, 2021 | Tom Perry On the basketball court, Katie McIlroy ’21 (Circleville, Ohio) understands the importance of being coached and motivated to succeed. The Economics and Political Science major realized recently that the same approach works just as well in the classroom. While conducting undergraduate research and writing her paper on “How do Misery Index Levels Impact Income Inequality within the United States?” she learned that mentoring by a faculty member can coax the best out of a student — and her paper was selected to be presented virtually at the annual MBAA International Conference, which is scheduled for March 24-26. “I was thrilled when I found out my paper was selected to be presented at the MBAA International Conference,” McIlroy said. “Dr. (Bizuayehu) Bedane had mentioned to me multiple times that I had the potential to be selected for this honor, and it’s almost serving as the culmination of my four years at Marietta College. I am proud of the work I submitted, and I am more grateful for the help I had along the way.”