Majors 2022
 Tony Calderon (‘22) is studying for a major in Economics and a minor in Psychology. Tony’s interest for economics began in high school when he took AP Macroeconomics with one of his closest friends and quickly realized how relevant and useful the subject is. After taking Introduction to Economics with Dr. Jac Heckelman, Tony realized how challenging yet rewarding the field of economics is, and more specifically the scope of the subject and how macroeconomic effects pertain to the overall global economy. Outside of the classroom, Tony enjoys playing Intramural Football, acting as the Recruitment Chair for Chi Psi, and leading both the Dow Jones Club and Finance Club in several positions. Upon graduation, Tony will be joining Truist Securities as an Investment Banking Analyst in their New York City office. |
 Catherine Diemer (’22) is a double major in Economics and Communication. After enjoying an introductory economics course at her previous school, Catherine decided to major in it at Wake Forest. She has enjoyed all of her economics courses at Wake Forest especially Economics in Sports, International Trade, and Public Choice. This past summer, Catherine served as a research assistant for her Public Choice professor, Dr. Heckelman. This research was focused primarily on political voting disparities in Tennessee. Outside of class, Catherine plays club field hockey and served as the team’s treasurer for two years. Next year, she will be working as a Digital Market Analyst at Red Ventures which combines her passions for Economics and Communication. |
 Maya Gerster (’22) is a major in Economics with a double minor in Entrepreneurship and Psychology. She decided to major in Economics after taking Dr. McFall’s Intermediate Microeconomics class. Dr. McFall’s Intermediate Microeconomics class ignited her interest in the subject due to how expansively the material can be applied to the real world, such as during her internship working on the relationship between socioeconomics and access to COVID-19 vaccines. Some of her favorite courses in the department have been Environmental & Natural Resource Economics with Dr. Curtis and Sports Economics with Dr. McFall. Maya is currently working towards her senior thesis where she is researching the impact of public versus private funding of sports stadiums. Outside of the classroom, Maya has served as a Campus Ambassador for the One Love Foundation and is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Upon graduation, Maya will be working as a Consulting Analyst at Accenture in New York.
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 Gina Beyer (’22) is a major in Economics with a double minor in Entrepreneurship and Politics & International Affairs. Despite never taking an Economics course before college, she was instantly drawn to the major after taking initial classes with Dr. Regan and Dr. McFall. This was the kind of information that both challenged and intrigued her, and she has particularly become fascinated with understanding how policy influences individual behavior and decision making. Some of her favorite classes include Monetary Theory and Policy with Dr. Lakdawala, Intermediate Microeconomics II with Dr. Chen, and American Economic Development with Dr. MacDonald. In the department, Gina has been a part of the Federal Reserve Challenge Team, Women in Economics, and has worked as a peer tutor for ECN 150, 207, and 306. She also enjoys working closely with Dr. Griffith and Dr. Chen as she works towards completing an Honors thesis. Outside of the department, she has taken on leadership positions in Kappa Delta Sorority and has acted as a campus tour guide and student advisor. Upon graduation, Gina will be working as an Economic Consultant at Edgeworth Economics in Washington, D.C. |
 Morgan Jacobi (‘22) is a major in Economics with a double minor in Statistics and Art History. She first became interested in Economics while taking Dr. Leung’s Introduction to Economics course when she realized that the field of Economics is quite diverse and can be applied to many practices and businesses. Some of her favorite Economics courses include Dr. Chen’s Game Theory course and Dr. Curtis’s Environmental & Natural Resource course; these courses have allowed her to explore the many applications of Economics. Morgan became interested in research while taking Dr. Yu’s Econometrics course and is currently pursuing an Honors in Economics through the composition of her senior thesis research paper; she is also working as a research assistant to Dr. Leung. Outside of economics, Morgan has served as both the Vice President of Panhellenic Operations and as the External Head Pumpkin of Project Pumpkin. Upon graduation, Morgan will be working as a Data Scientist Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, D.C., while simultaneously pursuing a Master’s of Science in Business Analytics at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. |
 JT Owens (’22) is an Economics Major with a Minor in History. He was drawn to the subject of Economics after taking the intro to Economics course with Dr. Whaples and it changed the way he thought about the world. With no knowledge of Economics prior to that course, it enlightened him to a whole new array of topics and ways of thinking. His interest was furthered by Game Theory and Microeconomic courses with Dr. Chen where JT learned to really think about everyday tasks in a new light. He has also had the amazing opportunity to discuss economics and its impact on the world and its history with Dr. Griffith and Dr. MacDonald in additional courses. He enjoys studying how people react to markets and how markets impact the world around us. Outside of the classroom, JT is President of the WFU Boxing Club, a Residential Adviser, and a Videographer with the football team and he takes the lessons he has learned in Economics to every aspect of his life outside of the classroom. |
 Haosen He (‘22) is a double major in Economics and Mathematics. He was drawn to the subject by the beauty and explanatory power of economic models, and his interest was further solidified by Dr. Chen’s Advanced Topics in MathEcon course and Dr. Griffith’s Applied Econometrics. Passionate about economic research, Haosen served as a research assistant for Dr. Leung, Dr. Griffith, Dr. Chen, and Dr. Leah Lakdawala. In 2020, Haosen started working with Dr. Chen and Dr. Yu on an ecological economics project aiming to understand human-elephant conflicts in Africa with agent-based modeling. Their study has been published on Ecological Modelling, one of the leading journals in this field. Outside of coursework and research, Haosen enjoys reading books on history and philosophy. After graduation, Haosen will work as a research fellow at Stanford University before pursuing a Ph.D. in economics. |
 Jadyn Ives (‘22) is a double major in Economics and Mathematics with a minor in Statistics. She was drawn to the subject after taking ECN 150 and seeing how many different ways economics interacts with the world. Jadyn loves thinking about these various interactions, especially in the field of environmental economics, which was inspired after taking ECN 241 with Professor Curtis. For the past year, she’s been excited to work with Professor Ryngaert and Professor Lakdawala as a research assistant and work to connect data analysis with economic theory. Outside of the department, she serves as the President of A.S.I.A., Editor in Chief of The Howler Yearbook, and Director of Trivia for Student Union. In the future, Jadyn plans to go to graduate school in order to pursue a higher degree in economics. |
 Bobby Farnham (’22) is a double major in Economics and History. His interest in economics began with Dr. Graczyk’s ECN 150, which he took his Freshman year. This class kindled his love for Economics, and he became interested in learning about the intersection of economics and policy decisions and their practical impacts on the global economy. Bobby found a passion for monetary policy by taking Dr. Cottrell’s Macroeconomics and Dr. Lakdawala’s Monetary Theory courses. These courses taught him how to conceptualize and think critically about monetary theory and policymaking decisions. Outside of the classroom, he has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Federal Reserve Challenge Team, and encourages any students interested in monetary policy to apply to the team. Outside of the Department, Bobby is involved with Sigma Pi Fraternity and served on the Executive Board for the 2019-2020 school year. |
 Micayla Jordan (’22) is a double major in Economics and Sociology with a minor in German. She has a passion for exploring how Economics can be used alongside Sociology to address social disparities across America with a focus on healthcare and education disparities across the South. As a Wake Forest Research Fellow, Micayla conducted research that explored the economic impact of public higher education on local economies across the South to uncover if investing in higher education can be used as a viable path to increase the overall economic attractiveness of a city. She has also studied abroad in Jena, Germany as a part of Wake Forest’s language immersion program. As a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, Micayla serves as the organization’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion and is responsible for assessing new member recruitment processes with the goal to increase diversity amongst the brotherhood. Her favorite quote is, “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing” by Audre Lorde which she feels explains the various aspects of her life as an Black female in the fields of Economics and Sociology. This summer, Micayla will intern with Capital One in their Finance Rotational Program. |
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 Ben Raiford (’22) is a double major in Economics and Mathematics. He was drawn to economics by a desire to understand the impact of public policy on people, and he has enjoyed challenging the assumptions behind the competitive markets studied in ECN 150. He has particularly appreciated the opportunity to think critically about current policy debates in class with Dr. John Dalton, Dr. Amanda Griffith, and Dr. Aeimit Lakdawala. Ben has also had deeply rewarding experiences serving as a research assistant to Dr. Koleman Strumpf and helping to lead the Federal Reserve Challenge Team. Outside of the department, Ben works to engage student voters with both You Can Vote and Deacs Decide and serves on the Honor and Ethics Council. He is working with TD Securities next summer and plans to pursue a PhD in Economics after college. |
Amelia Schulte (’22) is a major in Economics with minors in Arabic and Anthropology. She had never taken a course in the field prior to college. The engaging and supportive faculty in the department combined with the diverse course offerings convinced her to pursue the major. Her favorite courses she’s taken in the department include Public Policy, Public Choice Economics, and Environmental Economics. The combination of her studies in economics with her anthropology courses allows her to study human behavior and decision making from a variety of perspectives. She’s worked at nonprofits in Kansas City and Winston-Salem to explore the real-life implications of economic policy. Amelia is particularly interested in addressing the issues of homelessness and intergenerational poverty. Outside of the classroom, she is a member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and enjoys photography. In the future, Amelia plans to attend law school.
Grace Lyons (’22) is a major in Economics with a minor in Health Policy and Administration. She decided to major in Economics after truly enjoying Dr. Regan’s Introduction to Economics course during her freshman year. Grace loves thinking about the application of economic principles to key issues in society, especially those related to health. She is also particularly drawn to microeconomics and to research that helps maximize the wellbeing of individuals and marginalized groups. Dr. Triyana’s courses in Microeconomics and Global Health, Dr. Griffith’s Econometrics class, and Dr. Dalton’s Health Economics course have served as an inspiration to her. She has enjoyed working with faculty and students as a teaching assistant and research assistant in the Department. Next summer, she will be interning at The Hartford, working on her data analysis skills. Outside of her work with the Department, Grace is Co-Captain of the equestrian team, a member of Women in Economics, a tour guide for Admissions, and a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Majors 2023
 Molly Anderson (’23) is an Economics and Environmental Science double major at Wake, which she chose out of a passion for understanding the world around her- both from a natural perspective and a human financial perspective. She decided to major in economics after taking Macroeconomics with Dr. Cottrell, which she enjoyed because it pushed her to employ a more global perspective in her education. Molly was a participant in Wake Forest’s Global AWAKEnings program, which provides first year students the opportunity to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for their entire freshman year. Outside of the department, she is involved as a Global Ambassador and Social Media Coordinator in the Center for Global Programs & Studies, Treasurer for the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Vice President of Panhellenic Relations for Alpha Delta Pi, and is a general member of the Wake Forest Mock Trial team and Alpha Phi Omega. This summer, she will be interning with Global Endowment Management as a Client Strategy Analyst, and plans to go into corporate sustainability after graduating. |
 Braden Strackman (‘23) is a double major in Economics and Mathematics with a minor in Statistics. He decided to major in economics after taking ECN 211 with Dr. Chen and ECN 210 with Dr. Dalton. He has particularly enjoyed exploring the applications of economic theory and knowledge to current and future issues, which inspired him to join the department’s Federal Reserve Challenge Team. Since his sophomore year, he’s had the privilege of working with Dr. Amresh Hanchate, an economist at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, investigating disparate impacts of health policy, specifically Medicaid. He’s also researched international migration as it pertains to labor and economic development at the Cato Institute. Aside from his work in economics, Braden also serves as the Student Government Speaker of the House and is a member of Alpha Phi Omega. This summer he looks forward to working as a research intern at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in economics after graduation. |
 Camden Walrath (‘23) is a major in Economics with a minor in Japanese. After taking AP Economics his senior year he knew that’s what he wanted to major in. His first Economics classes taught by Professor MacDonald – Microeconomics I, American Economics Development, and Microeconomics II – confirmed his love for economics and its ability to change the way that you think and view the world by teaching you to analyze almost all facets of life using cost benefit analysis and resource allocation. He became interested in pursuing a graduate degree in Economics while taking Professor Yu’s Econometrics course and as a result, applied and was selected to attend the 2022 Public Choice Conference in Nashville. Through his Theory of Social Choice and Public Choice courses he learned about the expansive influence of Economics into other disciplines. Outside of the classroom, he is also a cadet in the Wake Forest’s Army ROTC program and through the Simultaneous Membership Program, concurrently holds the position of Executive Officer (XO) in an Army Reserves unit in North Carolina. He will be studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan during the fall of 2023. |