Northwestern Oklahoma State University junior Ethan Sacket presented his research paper at the Midwest Business Administration Association (MBAA) International Conference in Chicago recently.

The Aline native authored the paper titled "The Impact of Marshallese Migration on Northwest Oklahoma." He presented the paper within the Business, Society, and Government division.

Sacket said that when he first learned about the opportunity to present at the conference he knew exactly what topic he wanted to research further. The Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, which Ethan attends, has been serving the Pacific Islanders located in Enid through their outreach program for several years.

"Not too many people are aware of the Marshallese and their journey to Enid, Oklahoma," Sacket said. "Throughout the years, I've become fascinated about this topic."

Sacket said the paper focuses on the mutual, social, economic and educational impact of Marshallese migration on northwest Oklahoma and the challenges faced with this migration.

MBAA International is a multidisciplinary business conference founded in 1964. The conference consists of 12 program divisions all representing a different business discipline. The MBAA defines itself as a "gathering of leaders from around the world to present and receive useful research, share effective pedagogy and network in a fun and familiar setting." Its website is mbaainternational.org. The conference brings in individuals from around the United States and other countries in the world, meeting once a year in Chicago. The event in March brought in more than 600 attendees.

"Ethan started working on this presentation last December," said Dr. Wei Zhou, associate professor of business. "It took him about three months to collect data from Enid private and public sources. I think his presentation was well-organized and professionally delivered at the conference."

Sacket said Zhou and several other department of business faculty mentored him throughout the process and helped him develop the structure and content that would be appropriate for the conference.

"I am extremely grateful for Northwestern allowing me this opportunity," Sacket said. "This experience has opened my eyes to how exciting research can be no matter the topic. Listening to the other presenters, professors and doctoral candidates, discuss topics that they've spent years researching was truly inspiring and motivates me to explore endless possibilities within the world of research. It's all about finding something that resonates and taking passionate steps to learn more."

Many division of business faculty members actively participate in the MBAA International program even serving in various leadership positions throughout the years. Dr. Ralph Bourret, associate professor of business; Dr. Steven Palmer, professor of business; and Zhou have all served as the professional division chair of the Business, Society, and Government division.