Missouri State University student Mecca Walker will present her graduate research in Washington, D.C. this month. But there is a twist — the presentation can only be three minutes long.

Walker, a Master of Business Administration student, will present in the Council of Graduate Schools’ national showcase of the Three-Minute Thesis competition. In the contest, students condense their graduate-level research into a one-slide, three-minute pitch.

“I have built so much confidence in my areas of study and interests,” Walker said. “I have people invested in my education and success because they support my project.”

The competition

Walker advanced to the national showcase after winning second place at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools’ regional competition. Trimming down her project was no easy task.

“It was a challenge to translate field-specific terminology into layman’s terms,” she said. “I realized that saying things simply didn’t always mean the message could be understood easily.”

Walker will showcase her research on Dec. 8 at the Council of Graduate Schools’ annual meeting.

The project

Walker’s research project discussed the Fair Trade initiative and its economic effects. She developed the topic with faculty and resources in MSU’s MBA program.

Fair Trade works with crop growers in underdeveloped countries. It helps them get a higher price for better quality crops, such as organically grown food.

Walker’s findings show that growers who are part of Fair Trade receive little to no extra money, even though they pay to meet Fair Trade certification guidelines. She concluded that it has little economic benefit