When Lauren Jakyma, a rising senior business economics and finance double major, heard about the Student Marianist Economic Research Fellowship (SMERF) in her econometrics class, she immediately perked up.
"The research and analytics side sounded really interesting," Jakyma said. "It was a chance to pull my passions into my academic work. I hadn't heard of an opportunity like that before."
That curiosity led to one of the most meaningful experiences of her college career.
Bridging Dayton’s Early Education Divide
Throughout the spring semester, the SMERFs Jakyma, Joseph McEvoy (rising senior finance and accounting), and Roan Del Carmen (2026 graduate, finance and business economics) partnered with Preschool Promise.
“One of the program's most important benefits is exposing students to the real challenges faced by nonprofits and the people they serve,” said Andrew Beauchamp, economics professor and Thomas W. Albrecht Chair in Market Capitalism and the Common Good. “Just as valuable is helping everyone see the genuine contribution that quantitative tools can make to our prudential understanding of these problems.”
Preschool Promise ensures area families have access to high-quality early learning via BeReadyBy5.org—a resource hub connecting families with preschool, health, and community services.
The team's work targeted an urgent regional disparity:
- National childhood poverty rate: 16%
- Dayton childhood poverty rate: 35%
While early childhood interventions dramatically improve long-term success, BeReadyBy5.org was seeing low engagement. Working alongside Beauchamp and Nancy Haskell, associate professor of economics, the student team surveyed 137 frontline professionals with existing partnerships in roles such as social workers, healthcare providers, and educators to find out why.
The Findings: The issue wasn't a lack of resources, but a lack of awareness.
- The Reality: Only 18 of the 137 surveyed professionals actively used the platform.
- The Opportunity: 100% of current users would recommend it to colleagues.
By pinpointing this gap, the fellows provided Preschool Promise with actionable data to refine its outreach, ensuring Dayton's most vulnerable families get connected to existing care.
Skills, Mentorship and Marianist Values
The fellowship offered much more than theoretical research. Jakyma gained hands-on experience with professional tools like Qualtrics, Tableau, and exposure to AI-powered data analysis.
Weekly meetings with Haskell and Beauchamp allowed her to bridge classroom concepts with real-world application. “That one-to-one connection provided that mentorship opportunity,” said Jakyma. “I created a good working relationship with them, where if I had questions or needed a recommendation, I could reach out to them without hesitation.”
Sharing Knowledge
The project culminated in presentations to Preschool Promise leaders and the UD community at the Joseph W. Stander Symposium. “Presenting to audiences, non-profit partners, and the university community during Stander is by far one of the most beneficial experiences,” said Beauchamp. “It both helps motivate students to prepare thoroughly in advance and test their flexibility and resiliency in dealing with challenging questions. It was a very rewarding experience to see our students shine.”
Business Students Supporting the Common Good
For Jakyma, it perfectly reinforced UD's core Marianist value of using knowledge in service to others.
"I took my major and my passions and applied my talents to make a positive impact on the community surrounding my university. It showed me I can make a big difference,” said Jakyma.
As she prepares to graduate early this December, Jakyma will continue her work as a SMERF during her last semester and encourage other Flyers to apply. "It was a real-world moment working with an organization and making an impact on their day-to-day life. It is one of the best choices I’ve made."
Through SMERF, University of Dayton School of Business Administration students don't just study data—they turn analytics into a powerful tool for the common good. For students looking to make an impact, there will be more opportunities! Beauchamp shared, “With more projects coming online in the future, we're looking forward to expanding the scope of the Fellowship program.”