Research Rookies Student Profiles

Name: Benjamin Clark

Cohort: Freshman Research Rookie

Major: Business Administration

Hometown: Washington, Illinois

Faculty Mentor: Drs. Timothy Aurand & Robert Peterson

Connections can be everything in the world of business, and freshman Business Administration major Ben Clark is well aware of this fact. To help him get connected and gain unique insight into his field, Ben decided he wanted to become a Research Rookie.

Ben has always been very interested in numbers, finance, and business, so choosing Business Administration as his major was a natural fit. Next, to help him get involved with NIU faculty, Ben turned to the Research Rookies program. Through the program, Ben is now working with two mentors to combine his love of sports with his love of business in the form of a research project for which he will be studying different sports marketing techniques to assess their efficacy. Ben is currently reading articles to learn background information regarding the project, but he cannot wait to get started. He would love to be the sports administration executive for a professional sports team someday, which is why he is so avid about pursuing this project and learning about these applicable marketing techniques.

Already, the experiences Ben has had through the Research Rookies program have taught him vital skills. He has improved his time management, gained more experience in his field, become more assertive in approaching others, and developed a great connection with his two mentors. By learning about his field through the Research Rookies program and staying involved in the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi, Ben is clearly working hard to reach his goals, and it is only a matter of time before he does.

Benjamin on what being a Research Rookie means: “Being a Research Rookie means having an incredible amount of responsibility as well as having the desire to better yourself individually.”