Practical Application Drives Potential Career Path for Gallup Intern

Omaha, NE – A chance meeting with some Gallup executives put CBA Economics graduate student Kellie Lindsay on the path to her dream internship. This summer, Lindsay is one of only seven people nationwide who was chosen by Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm, for their prestigious summer research program.

Kellie met the Gallup team when she gave them a tour of CBA’s Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavioral Laboratory (CAB Lab). They were so impressed with her knowledge and presentation of the technology/ operations that they emailed her directly about the internship and encouraged her to apply!

“As a graduate assistant, Kellie has been a wonderful addition to the Koraleski CAB Lab team and has certainly made an impact. She is eager to learn, an excellent collaborator, and is passionate about research and helping others. This internship is a tremendous opportunity for her to showcase her skills and work with some talented people at the Gallup organization. She has a bright future ahead.” said Debbie O’Malley, Director of Applied Research Operations and Administration, Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavioral Laboratory.

Lindsay will get firsthand experience in this role. She will assist senior researchers at Gallup in developing surveys, collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and more, which will assist in solving pressing, global issues. Additionally, the work that she assists in this summer has the potential to be published in journals and presented at conferences.

Lindsay’s undergraduate and graduate studies helped her find her passion for the economic approach to human behavior. “As a pragmatic person, I was excited about the many applications that behavioral economics offered to better organizations, governments, and education. My undergraduate advisor, Dr. Bun Song Lee, a former professor at UNO, encouraged me to apply to UNO’s graduate economics program, and once I realized UNO had the Koraleski CAB Lab, I was sold. My graduate experience has strengthened and enhanced my desire to understand human behavior; I have learned how to use biometric technology for research; how to design experimental research studies; how to write an IRB; how to analyze gigantic data sets with statistical programming languages; how to manage a lab, and more.

The experience has the potential to shape this first-generation college student’s career path, too. Once she graduates in 2024, Lindsay will continue her education by getting her Ph.D. in Economics, and then she hopes to eventually work for Gallup.

“Gallup prefers to hire people who want to stay on long-term - they made that clear in the interview. They don't have many economics PhDs, so I would be an asset based on my understanding of the discipline, ability to write for economic journals, and a potential connection to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)!”

Lindsay is quick to point out that this entire experience would not be possible without the support and collaboration with many UNO CBA faculty and staff members from a variety of departments such as management, marketing, and economics: Dr. Ben Smith, Dr. Dustin White, Dr. Jamie Wagner, Dr. Nick Arreola, Dr. Leif Lundmark, Assistant Dean David Nielsen, CBA Dean Michelle Trawick, and Debbie O’Malley to name just a few.

“Dr. Smith and Dr. White from the economics department take my wildly abstract research ideas and help me ground them into practicality, and Dr. Wagner has given me the mental and emotional support I did not know that I would need as a woman in STEM. Finally, Dean Trawick and Assistant Dean David Nielsen have shown me continuous support by challenging me and trusting me to rise to the occasion when the Koraleski CAB Lab is hosting very important guests. Beyond the challenging coursework that expands my intellectual toolkit, the CBA has prepared me with an impactful skillset that will give me a unique edge in this experience,” Lindsay said.