The Haile Research Fellows and Lab Program at Northern Kentucky University began as an initiative to bridge the gap between academic research and business practice, but for student Princess Nworah it was an opportunity for both personal and professional growth. 

“When I first came to NKU, I was super, super shy. I would avoid everybody in the hallways, just put my head down and listen to music, but now I feel so much more confident,” she says. “My public speaking skills have improved so much. Even how I communicate with professors, faculty and my fellow students has improved so much.”

Born and raised in Nigeria, Nworah came to NKU in 2022 at just 17 years old. She heard about the university through her cousin, an alumnus, who encouraged her to apply. 

“I applied to about 10 schools, but I specifically chose NKU because I liked how it has small class sizes but a big community, and I really liked how the College of Business was advertised as hands-on, very innovative and very community based,” she says. 

As a sophomore, Nworah learned about the Haile Research Fellows—now called the Haile Research Fellows and Lab Program—through a fellow student and jumped at the opportunity to work with the college’s distinguished faculty. At the time, the program was an intensive summer-long mentorship initiative where Nworah and a small group of hand-selected students conducted economic research under the guidance of Dr. Abdullah Al Bahrani, known to his students as Dr. A, before presenting their research at conferences.  

The fellowship was Nworah’s launchpad. The following semester, she began working as a research assistant under Dr. A and helped build what is now the Haile Research Fellows and Lab Program. What began as a summer-long initiative became a semester-based research and mentorship space where students, faculty, staff and community members come together to explore current business trends. The new and improved program matches approximately two dozen student participants with six faculty mentors who will guide them through the academic research process. 

Nworah was matched with Janet Harrah, senior director of NKU’s Center for Economic Analysis & Development. Through her mentorship, she experienced new methods of conducting different kinds of research and even learned how to guide others through their own research projects. 

“I would say Janet’s research is very different from typical independent economics research,” Nworah says. “It is very client and consulting focused, and I really enjoyed that because it’s brought a new perspective to how I do things and for a whole different audience. I’m really appreciative of Janet because research is something that I am still getting into, but the way she guides students makes it so much easier. And I feel like if you don’t have experience in something like that you can always learn with the right mentor.”

A secondary goal of the program is to turn professional mentorships into personal mentorships, which Dr. A credits as the power of the program. He says there are things that students are expected to know that aren’t integrated into traditional classroom curriculum, and empowering students with soft and transferable skills—like networking and self-advocacy—as well as strong faculty relationships will allow them to thrive independently and confidently.  

In addition to principal research methods and leadership experience, Nworah says she developed these valuable skills through her mentorship with Harrah, and that they are essential to both her personal and academic success. As a full-time business student, part-time worker and multi-program participant, Nworah quickly learned the importance of time management, as well as public speaking and presentation skills. She says that public speaking and presentation skills are another essential ability she gained through the program and her mentorship. 

“You have to learn how to talk to people, especially audience, and you have to know who your audience is and the best way to communicate information to them,” she says. “You have to learn how to give information to people who don’t have experience in what you’re researching. It’s not about how complicated you can make something sound; it’s better to make things as simple as possible rather than complicating things to make yourself sound smart.”

Overall, Nworah says her experience in the Haile Research Fellows and Lab Program has prepared her for life after graduation. 

“It really has helped me tie what I’ve learned into real life situation, because economics is a very reality-focused major you can tie to everyday life, and doing research has really opened my eyes to that,” she says.  

Nworah is expecting to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and minors in mathematics and statistics in May. Next, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in economics and begin her career as an in-house industry economist. 

To learn more about the Haile Research Fellows and Lab Program, visit the Haile College of Business website.