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Return on Investment
At the edge of the vast Huron National Forest on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula lies the town of Mio, home to fewer than 2,000 people and a solitary traffic light on its lone main street, the M-33. Laura Jackson Young ’10 grew up there, in a house of educators: Dad Jay taught at Mio AuSable Middle School, mom Sheri in the local preschool. But it took some inspiration further from home for the alumna to imagine an academic career for herself. “I learned that I enjoyed working with students, and that I was good at it,” she says of tutoring fellow undergraduates in the Economics-Finance lab at Bentley. She also served as a research assistant to Professor of Global Studies Jeff Gulati. “It helped me figure out that I didn’t want an investment banking path.” Fast forward to 2021. The now-assistant professor teaches courses in monetary theory and macroeconomics, among others. And, with Professor of Economics Dave Gulley, she coaches the student team that Bentley fields for the annual Fed Challenge. The national competition invites students to analyze economic and financial conditions, and then present a monetary policy recommendation to a panel of Federal Reserve employees. “It’s been cool to partner with Dave,” reports Jackson Young, herself a competitor in 2009. “As a student you feel the pressure to get ready and learn, but as faculty we get to quiz them and push them to learn new things. It’s fun to be on this side.” Gulley founded the team back in 2007 with faculty colleague Aaron Jackson (no relation to the alumna), who is now associate dean of business. They stay in touch, via biweekly emails, with a long roster of past competitors. “We joke with students that once they’re in the Fed Challenge, they are in it for life,” says Gulley. That steady outreach (typically, finance-focused Wall Street Journal articles and colorful team updates) helped bring Jackson Young back to campus after completing her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The 2020 Fed Challenge season was virtual, from prep through competition. Bentley’s team reached the national semifinals before losing to eventual champion Dartmouth College. “I get excited, but Dave can’t watch them compete,” Jackson Young says with a smile. “The nerves get to him.” The alumna, like her former professors, forges bonds with students outside the classroom. Women in Economics at Bentley (WEB) is a two-year-old network she created to mentor female students. They gain a role model in a male-dominated field, along with advice on course selection and help with job applications. “I’ve gotten a lot of nice relationships out of it,” says Jackson Young. “Students are emailing me after graduation, or coming back to campus to visit.” That return on investment was even greater this year: She just earned tenure, which called for celebrating with her husband, Eric Young ’09 and their 18-month-old son, Julian. They are surely applauding back home in Mio, too.
Laura Jackson Young ’10 and faculty mentors Aaron Jackson (l.) and David Gulley PHOTOS BY KEVIN MAGUIRE
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