How Influencers, AI and Financial Literacy are Shaping Student Research
At Bentley, undergraduate students are spearheading in-depth research that speaks to their passions — and tackles real-world issues. Student researchers, many of whom worked through two semesters, collaborated with faculty mentors on topics ranging from human effects on marine systems to societal impacts of technological advances. Their research, presented during the Undergraduate Research Day Conference in April, sets them up for the workplace through managing projects, collaborating with faculty and peers, analyzing information, defending ideas and fielding questions.
Presentations include culminating projects for students in the Honors Program Creative, Research and Community Based Research Pathways, along with research-related opportunities through the FirstGen Presidential Fellows Program and the Valente Center for Arts and Sciences. Students also represented research across additional departments and programs — including Natural and Applied Sciences and Economics, the Center for Integration of Science and Industry, and the Earth, Environment and Global Sustainability Research Fund.
The conference — and students putting in the hard work leading up to the event — in photos
Economics-Finance major Mario A. Rueda ’26 presented at both the Honors Program sessions and the FirstGen Presidential Fellows Signature Work Project held later in the afternoon. “My capstone project explores how generative AI is changing storytelling, especially in short-form media like TikTok and YouTube,” Rueda says. “I focus on three main areas: authorship and responsibility, the lasting value of AI generated stories, and how audiences respond to and judge authenticity. Through this work, I hope to better understand what authenticity means in an increasingly AI-driven media landscape. More broadly, I want to contribute to conversations about creativity, ownership and the long-term impact of AI on storytelling and culture.”
According to Marketing major Ava Tavares ’26, “My research examines the “Alix Earle Effect,” exploring how perceived authenticity, relatability and parasocial relationships — one-sided emotional connections audiences develop with public figures — shape consumer behavior. Through survey research, I have developed a replicable marketing framework that brands can apply to drive trust, engagement and purchase behavior, built on consistency, influencer strategy and key brand/creator traits. I am actively applying this model within a Harvard Business School Innovation Lab startup, Village Wardrobe, and am gathering real-time feedback.”
“This project designs an AI-augmented decision support system to help small- and medium-sized businesses optimize pricing recommendations for procurement tenders, while preserving human judgment and transparency,” Christos Chatziioannou ’27 says of his research. He is a double major in Information Technology in Accounting and Finance and Technology. “It addresses a practical business challenge by improving the speed, consistency and quality of pricing decisions.”
A paper based on Chatziioannou’s research has been conditionally accepted to the 2026 European Conference on Information Systems, an international conference that brings together scholars and practitioners to share research and advances in the field of information systems.
Chelsea Cruz ’27, a Finance major, says, “My research looks at how financial literacy programs work for low-income communities in Massachusetts, and the barriers that make it difficult for people to access and apply what they learn. I focus on real experiences from participants and coaches to understand what actually makes these programs effective. I hope my research will help improve financial education programs so they are more accessible, realistic and better aligned with the needs of the communities they serve.”
