Economics is one of the basic means of explaining human behavior and the interactions that drive the world. In the center of Edinburgh, there is a statue of Adam Smith. That tells me that when we as economists do an exceptionally good job at explaining our world, we are making a profound contribution. The better we understand our world, the better we can run our world, both on an individual level and on a macro level. I really feel that building a greater understanding of economics will not only help my career but it will also help me to understand my role in the world better -- and allow me to take a bigger stake in the world.

For my undergraduate education, I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. That led me to my current career. It is important to continue learning, however,...

I know that I will be a valuable contributor to the economics program. I have taken it upon myself to become well-read on economics, which will give me a good sense of perspective in classroom discussions. I have the strong mathematical skills to understand existing models, and hopefully to build a few new ones as well. My contributions will also be enhanced by my voracious reading of economic opinion regarding our current crisis, as I have taken to analyzing the conflicting views about not only what is happening but how we can resolve some of the problems in the economy. As an accounting assistant, I have learned that one of the greatest uses of understanding is to solve problems, and that is the approach I expect to take into my graduate-level economics education as well.