Student Spotlights

Student Feature - Kamini Jain:

Ph.D. student Kamini Jain recently participated in the I.S.E.O. Summer School in Economics.

The Summer School was graced by a distinguished panel of speakers, including multiple Nobel Laureates in Economics, as well as renowned international economists, among them David CARD (Nobel Laureate in Economics 2021, Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Labour Economics at Berkeley University); Michael SPENCE (Nobel Laureate in Economics 2001, Professor Emeritus, Stanford Business School and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford); Sergei GURIEV (Provost and Professor of Economics at Sciences Po University, leader of the Research and Policy Network on Populism at CEPR, former rector of the New Economic School in Moscow); Ekaterina ZHURAVSKAYA (Professor of Political Economy at Paris School of Economics); Valentina BOSETTI (Professor of Climate Economics at Bocconi University); Phoebe KOUNDOURI (Professor of Economics at Athens University of Economics and Business and at Denmark University, President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists); Robert WESCOTT (President of Keybridge Research and former economic advisor to US President Clinton at the White house); and Lucas CHANCEL (Professor at Sciences Po and co-director of the World Inequality Lab at Paris School of Economics).

"During the summer, I was fortunate enough to participate in the I.S.E.O. Summer School in Economics, which took place in Iseo, Italy. The program centered around the topic of "The World After: Anticipating the Global Economy's Future Challenges." Its main objective was to explore the various challenges that the world's economies are currently encountering and will confront in the aftermath of significant events like the pandemic and the geopolitical tensions arising from the conflict in Ukraine.

The Summer School offered more than just academic learning and study opportunities for the students. One of the highlights was the chance to interact with the esteemed lecturers during meals. This allowed for informal conversations and further learning opportunities. It was a great opportunity to ask questions, seek guidance, and delve deeper into the topics that fascinated me. In addition to the academic program, the Summer School organizers curated a range of exciting activities. Attending the I.S.E.O. Summer School in Economics was truly a transformative experience. From the engaging academic sessions to the immersive cultural activities and the bonds formed with fellow participants, the entire program surpassed my expectations.

I am grateful to the Economics Department of Stony Brook University for their generous financial assistance, enabling me to attend this valuable summer school."

Pictured below are David Card (Left), Kamini Jain (Middle) and Robert Wescott (Right).

Student Feature - Amelia Chicas:

Amelia Chicas is a Long Island native and sophomore economics student at Stony Brook University. Growing up in the predominantly-Hispanic town of Brentwood, she is the middle child in a family of 5, and graduated from Brentwood High School in 2021. As a university student, she engages in various student clubs and networking events while serving as the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Chair for her university's chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, a national co-ed professional business fraternity. Through this role, she has developed as a leader and skilled facilitator. Recently, she hosted a panel discussion for her Delta Sigma Pi brothers to learn from MENTOR New York about elevating equity in the public and private sectors. Over the summer of 2022, she grew her skillset interning as a Finance Associate at ACRES Capital Management, a commercial real estate company located on Long Island. She aspires to be a financial analyst and eventually manage her own business. As a first-generation American of Dominican and Salvadoran descent, she enjoys connecting with her culture while learning about other cultures and traditions worldwide.

Amelia recently facilitated the opening plenary at MENTOR New York's 20th annual Mentoring Matters Conference. Amelia shares about her experience as moderator and interview with Keynote speaker, Reggie Love, the bestselling author and former personal aide to Barack Obama.

"My experience at the Mentoring Matters Conference was extremely insightful. When speaking with Reggie, I got the sense that he was eager to spread mentorship and advice to anyone who was looking to grow as a person, both personally and professionally. My conversation with Reggie touched upon topics of mentorship, education, diversity in the workplace, knowing it’s okay not to know, and paving the way for younger generations. It really stood out to me how well-spoken Reggie is, and I hope to keep his advice in mind as I continue my career."

Student Feature - Zhutong Xie:

Ph.D. student Zhuotong Xie Chairs CES Session on Economics of Education

"I attended the 2023 Chinese Economists Society (CES) conference at Oklahoma University. It was such a great experience! During this three-day conference, I organized the session on the Economics of Education. As the session chair, I presented my paper about marriage sorting on education, and discussed a paper about Chinese education inequality from Princeton University. I got very helpful feedback from the audience. I also learned a lot by attending other researchers' presentations. What's more, I met the president of CES, Qihong Liu. He is an alumnus of our Economics Department at Stony Brook University and is now a professor at Oklahoma University. I appreciate the support from Professor Hugo Benitez-Silva and the department. I am really happy to have this opportunity to network with researchers from all over the world."