Marina Boyle, a sophomore Business & Competitive Intelligence major from Dublin, Ireland, was recently announced as the winner of the Jim Mathews Undergraduate Award and Fellowship for Intelligence Excellence.

The Jim Mathews Award was started in 2012 by Aurora WDC in order to honor the lasting impact Jim Mathews had on the field of Competitive Intelligence (CI) during his career. The award is presented each year to one undergraduate and one graduate student who demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in business, competitive, economic and/or market intelligence.

“Winning the Jim Mathews award means the world to me because it validates my hard work up to this point and reminds me of the extensive opportunities there are in the field. Jim Mathews is naturally someone whose career successes I would hope to emulate in any future endeavors, and I am flattered to bear an award with his name,” Boyle said.

The extensive application process for the Jim Mathews Award begins over Winter Break with an essay based on one of six prompts, focusing on different business intelligence trends. Applicants must also provide a transcript and have a minimum 2.6 GPA. In addition to the essay, potential recipients must demonstrate how they will follow the legacy of Jim Mathews in an intelligence field, having a strong appreciation for ethics and professional values, have strong leadership experience and display a curiosity and persistent in intelligence coursework.

Boyle believes that this award will help her achieve her long-term business goals.

“My main goals is to start my own businesses both in North America and my home country of Ireland,” Boyle said. “Afterward I hope to retire with enough money and expertise to start an NGO that allows me to use business and competitive intelligence skills for humanitarian work. I hope the Jim Mathews award can be the first step on this ladder.”

From the award’s conception in 2012 to 2017 a Mercyhurst student was always one of the winners, but in 2018 there was no representation. Although Boyle applied for the award that year, but unfortunately did not receive it, the second attempt definitely paid off.

“It’s nice to be able to bring this award back to the Hurst,” Boyle said. “This win reflects on the wonderful professors I’ve had and instruction I’ve received from numerous professors here – in particular Dr. Tuzuner, Dr. Freyn and Professor Guelcher.”

Apart from the prestigious recognition received, each winner also gets the chance to attend the G2: Reconverge Conference in Madison, Wisconsin and present their winning essay. The G2: Reconverge Conference runs from April 22-April 25, with this year’s theme being Developing Your Organization Intelligence Growth Plan. The four-day conference is also a great opportunity to network and meet others in their future field.

Congratulations, Marina!

Marina Boyle is the Features Editor of the Merciad.