Student Highlight Interviews
The Department of Economics is proud to present an exciting project to highlight our majors’ students. It’s a great opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with one another as well as highlight their personal experiences within the Economics Department.
Please see below and click the names of individual students to view their interview questions and answers.
What influenced your decision to choose your major?
- "I was very fortunate to have an economist as my AP
economics teacher during senior year of high school.
His passion and erudition had a lot of influence on my
decision to pursue economics in college. I fell in love
with the applicable and versatile nature of economics
and appreciated having a newfound vocabulary to
explain the world around me."
Are you involved in any campus activities? If so, why did you choose to get involved?
- "For the past year and a half, I’ve been involved in the
Economics Student Association. I first joined as a
member in Spring 2021, then became outreach chair in
Fall 2021 and vice president in Spring 2022. Starting
college during the pandemic made it difficult for me to
socialize with my classmates. I found myself longing
for a community of like-minded peers and decided to
get involved with ESA."
What difficulties or challenges have you faced choosing this major? How did you overcome them?
- "One of the biggest challenges I have faced as an
economics major is finding a sense of direction with
my career. Economics is such a broad subject, which
makes it difficult when trying to decide on a specific
career path. I realized early on that one way to
overcome this uncertainty is to talk to my professors
and seek out as much information as I could on the
available jobs out there for economics majors. Going to
office hours every semester to talk with professors
about prospective careers has been extremely effective
at reducing the uncertainty."
What advice would you like to share with your peers?
- "Leap out of your comfort zone, stay there, and leap
again. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned throughout
my time at CSULB, it is that progress and growth often
happens when we push ourselves past what we believe
we’re capable of. Also, always remember to persevere
in the face of adversity. Life loves to catch us off guard
but the ability to remain resilient is essential to
overcoming these challenges."
Have you thought about plans for after graduation? If so, please share.
- "This past summer, I had the amazing opportunity of
interning at a real estate research and consulting firm.
During the internship, I was able to apply the economic
knowledge that I have learned in school to the real
world. I achieved more than what I thought was
possible, and I was constantly surrounded by
passionate and knowledgeable team members. I
currently work part-time at the company as a research
analyst and desire greatly to remain in this position
after graduation."
Is there anything that you'd like to highlight about yourself or the Department of Economics to others?
- "I owe the wonderful experiences I’ve had at CSULB
thus far to the professors and peers that I’ve had the
opportunity to learn from. Upon entering college, I
was immediately met with unmatched kindness and
support from everyone in the Department of
Economics. The wisdom I’ve gained and advice I
have been given has immensely impacted my life in
the best way possible."
What influenced your decision to choose your major?
- "My high school econ teacher played a big role in
helping me enjoy and understand economics.
From that point forward I fell in love with it and
knew it was something I wanted to continue to
pursue."
What is something you can share about your experience in economics?
- "I just transferred but so far I have had a really
good experience with economics. It can be
difficult to understand at times but the
challenge of it is what I like the most. It is
rewarding when I am finally able to understand
a concept."
What difficulties or challenges have you faced choosing this major? How did you overcome them?
- "I didn’t have many difficulties choosing this
major. I knew I enjoyed econ and wanted to
learn more about it so it was a no brainer
decision. Most of my challenges come from the
classes itself and their contents. It can be hard
to grasp at times but studying and asking for
help are my go to ways to figure it out."
What advice would you like to share with your peers?
- "My advice is to always try your best even if your
best is only 50%. It can get stressful at times but
you have to do what works for you and
prioritize your mental and physical health.
Everything will fall into place one way or
another."
How do you feel about your overall college experience?
- "My college experience hasn’t been exactly
conventional due various reasons but I wouldn’t
change it. I have enjoyed all of my classes and
have made new friends along the way. While it
is stressful it has all been worth it."
Is there anything that you'd like to highlight about yourself or the Department of Economics to others?
- "I have had nothing but positive experiences
with everyone in the department of
economics. They are always there to help."
What influenced your decision to choose your major?
- "When I was studying for my AP Microeconomics and
Macroeconomics exams during the peak of Covid-19, I
found myself really enjoying re-teaching myself and
reviewing the material. It came very naturally to me
and I easily spent hours just learning, I haven't ever
truly felt a passion like that for an academic subject.
While I have always liked school, cared deeply about it
and did quite well for the most part, I've never really
resonated with a subject or a topic until that moment."
Are you involved in any campus activities? If so, why did you choose to get involved?
- "I am a member of CSULBVSA and I decided to get
involved because I wanted to be a part of a community,
especially one where I could meet other Vietnamese
people, because as diverse as San Francisco (where I'm
from) is, I didn't meet too many Vietnamese people or
those whose lives were similar to mine. I also wanted
to meet new people and make connections."
What difficulties or challenges have you faced choosing this major? How did you overcome them?
- "I don't think I have exactly faced any challenges
choosing this major, other than potentially feeling a
lack of connection with my peers in this major. I
haven't exactly made much of an effort to connect with
others or going to ESA meetings per se, though I have
met a few people recently."
What advice would you like to share with your peers?
- "My advice would be to pace yourself and listen to your
mind. Though this only works if you have self
discipline to accomplish your tasks. I know that we all
get overwhelmed and some days we don't feel like
doing anything, and on those days, I listen to myself. If
I have a lot to get done and can't afford a free day, then
I will do the mundane and easy tasks. I never force
myself to complete an assignment on a day where I am
not feeling it, because I know my work will be subpar
and it will only drain me further. I only work when I
am in the proper mindset and this allows me to
complete my work best."
Have you thought about plans for after graduation?
- "I have thought about taking an internship in the
summer, hopefully that fosters into something
longer than just that time period. Generally, I
am looking to gain some experience in the
working world then going back to school to get
my Masters."
Is there anything that you'd like to highlight about yourself or the Department of Economics to others?
- "I currently have a 4.0 GPA, received the
Powell Endowed Scholarship for Fall 2022,
have an interview for a Summer 2023
internship with Alphasights, and will be
minoring in CS."
What influenced your decision to choose your major?
- "Over the summer I was volunteering at my local
courthouse and struggling to figure out how to combine
my two passions: the sciences and humanities. One of
my peers suggested that I take some economics courses
because she saw how much I cared about social issues
and policy. I ended up double majoring in economics
and international studies as a result."
Are you involved in any campus activities? If so, why did you choose to get involved?
- "I used to be super involved in campus activities at the beginning
of my undergrad career. I was in the honors program, I competed
in moot court across the country and then I was in student
government for two years. Over the pandemic, my campus
involvement shifted and I started getting more involved with my
art community off campus. I also started a position at the student
paper as the assistant opinions editor in my junior year. That
really got me started on a journey in journalism that I didn't
expect. In summer of 2021, I interned at the LA Times and then
subsequently worked for NPR for 8 months. I had a really great
time and I started freelancing for a number of different
publications after. I've had bylines in the Washington Post, the
Guardian, the LA Times and more."
What difficulties or challenges have you faced choosing this major? How did you overcome them?
- "Sometimes it's challenging to feel like there aren't as many
women in this field as there are men. I think about that a lot,
where there is generally an underrepresentation of women
and people of color in economics. I don't think it's something
that I personally can overcome on a systemic level, but I
pride myself in scoring well in my classes and proving
through my studies that I belong in every classroom I'm in."
What advice would you like to share with your peers?
- "I would say, it took me a long time to figure out my major. I'm in
my last semester now, but I really took my time over the past four
and a half years to figure out what I was passionate about. I went
from a clarinet music performance major to a marine biology nerd
who volunteered at CSULB's shark lab, to becoming a math major
and ultimately a double major in economics and international
studies. All along the way, I figured out what I loved which was
writing and art and even though that's different from my studies, I
think that ultimately, my degree has made me a more well rounded
person. I would just encourage everyone who's trying to figure out
what they are passionate about to really invest in themselves
because ultimately college is about finding who you are and you'll
never have a chance like this in life to continually reinvent yourself
each year in school."
Have you thought about plans for after graduation?
- "I'm hoping to get a job in journalism and to work for a
local or national publication after I graduate. I feel
pretty good about my college experience, I think I
explored every possible nook and cranny to find a path
for myself and I'm proud of that. I'm really burnt out
though. I worked full time and was a student full time
in my senior year and I was really exhausting. I think
that I'm going to also allow myself rest in the upcoming
months and try not to push myself too hard."
Is there anything that you'd like to highlight about yourself or the Department of Economics to others?
- "The economics department is so tight knit and I feel like I
was just beginning to tap into that community right as the
pandemic hit. I regret not being able to get involved more
while I was a student, like participating in the Economics
Student Association events. I'm really grateful though that I
was able to receive so much learning and knowledge in my
time in this department. I know the analytical skills I gained
will stay with me for life."
What influenced your decision to choose your major?
- When looking at "Economics", 'supply and demand'
were the only words I could immediately recall when I
was choosing my major in the application process. So I
never had a full complete understanding in what
Economics truly was. However, there was a small spark
of interest when I learned about Economics my senior
year of high-school and decided to take a small leap of
faith. And it was the best decision I have ever made. I
didn't realize how much of an interest I had with
Economics. Where the major was broad enough where
you have flexibility to carve what you want to do in
the future, but not so specific and concentrated on one
concept of study (i.e. Financial, Environmental, Data,
& International).
Are you involved in any campus activities? If so, why did you choose to get involved?
- Currently, I am in the University Honors Program at
CSULB and for my honors thesis project; I will be
focusing on two areas of study: Economics and
Computer Science. I am currently performing this
research with Dr. Yutian Chen within the Economics
Department. I chose this specific concentration to gain
experience not only in performing research, but also
experience within tying economic game-theory with
reinforcement-learning.
What difficulties or challenges have you faced choosing this major? How did you overcome them?
- Some challenges I faced in choosing this major was
deciding what specific areas of economics I wanted to
pursue. I overcame this challenge through taking a
variety of different (and what sounded interesting to
me) economics courses to see which specific areas
sparked my interest. I will never forget the moment
sitting in Professor Herman Singh's Environmental
Economics Class and hearing the words "Behavioral
Economics" and what it meant. At that moment, I
realized I was one step closer to deciding what I loved,
what I am interested in, and wanted to pursue.
Ultimately, on top of college, I also pursued various of
circulars and explored outside of my bubble. This
includes: exploring a Marketing Minor,
Entrepreneurship, taking a Digital Marketing
Certificate Course outside of school, and watching
numerous of YouTube videos about "what to do with
an economics degree".
What advice would you like to share with your peers?
- Number 1: Take risks. Don't be afraid to take a class
that you might know nothing about but seems
interesting or challenging. You will never know unless
you really try.
Number 2: Have an open mind. Even if you have a
set career goal going into college, you can have a
completely different future planned in college or
after college. I initially went into college wanting to
become an Interior Designer and saw Economics not
only as a "safety net degree" but also valuable
knowledge in applying it towards Interior Design. I
now have a completely different future career goal
than when I first went into college.
Number 3: Your self-care is the first and foremost
priority. School, classes, the future, and your career
can be extremely stressful to think about. But, there is
nothing wrong with putting yourself first. Make sure
to give yourself time to breathe, relax, take care of
yourself, and enjoy the ride. Live your life too, you
are not only tied to just school.
Have you thought about plans for after graduation?
- I have decided to pursue Data Science/Data Analytics
with my Economics Degree. As of now, I am
completing the Google Data Analytics Certificate
Course which will help expand and curtail down my
options what to look for. I currently have an open
mind and don't have a full set path or plan in what I
will be doing after graduation, but more of a direction.
But my direction includes either: Pursuing and getting
my Masters in Economics or Data Science/Data
Analytics OR applying and searching for internships
or job experience within the field.
Is there anything that you'd like to highlight about yourself or the Department of Economics to others?
- I would like to highlight Professor Herman Singh,
Rachel Lobo, and Dr. Yutian Chen; for helping me
refine what I am interested in and what I want
concentration I want to pursue with my degree.
I also would like to highlight myself as a student for
reaching out and asking questions to professors and
spending some time on my own to really explore what
I can do with my degree and what is it that I am
passionate about and want to do.