AEASP 2025 Scholar Vanya Funez

Vanya Funez is a rising senior at Williams College. She is majoring in Economics with a concentration in Coastal & Ocean Studies and Latina/o/x Studies. She aspires to combine her interests and pursue a Ph.D. in environmental economics. In doing so, she hopes to address issues of environmental and racial justice. Beyond her academic pursuits, Vanya enjoys spending time outdoors and engaging in community work.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Grace Etzel

Grace Etzel is a rising senior at Trinity University, where she studies Theoretical Economics and Mathematics with a Political Science minor. At Trinity University, Grace is a student athlete in Cross Country and Track and Field, and a peer tutor of mathematics and economics at the QRS Center at Trinity. She has worked on a multitude of projects within the math and economics departments, including studying stochasticity in the Solow Model, the impacts of the construction of highways on crime, and stability in the Cournot model with adaptive expectations.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Stevi Dugas

Originally from Southern Louisiana, Stevi Dugas is an undergraduate at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia studying Mathematical Economics. She is passionately pursuing a research career in developmental economics, particularly as it pertains to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Stevi has contributed to multiple research projects in her undergraduate career, studying everything from corruption in early selection of Nobel Laureates to her current project researching the intersections of displacement, land security, food security, and conflict in DRC.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Layla-Marie Davila

Layla-Marie Davila earned her B.A. in Economics from California State University San Marcos, where she developed an interest in economics while helping her family manage a small business during the pandemic. As an undergraduate, she led professional development workshops as Vice President of the Economics Club and completed an econometrics project on home-ice advantage in the NHL.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Nathan Callahan

I am a senior at Sonoma State University double majoring in Economics and Political Science. As a research assistant in political economics and a student assistant at the Center for the Study of Holocaust and Genocide, I've developed a deep interest in behavioral and developmental economics. Being of Māori descent, I'm driven to use economics as a tool to help develop communities. I am hopeful to one day get a PhD in economics.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Luwam Balihu

Luwam Balihu is a financial economics scholar and leadership advocate dedicated to empowering communities through education. As a Dean's List student at St. Catherine University, she bridges technical expertise in econometrics with hands-on leadership—serving as Economics Club President, Resident Advisor, and Peer Money Mentor. Through financial literacy workshops, research initiatives, and one-on-one mentoring for 800+ peers, Luwam transforms economic theory into tangible impact.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Leonardo Andrade

Leonardo Andrade is from Queens, NY, and Mexico City, Mexico. He is a rising Senior at Bard College, studying Economics with a secondary focus in Computer Science. At Bard, he is an Early College Opportunity scholar, and has worked closely with the Office of Equity and Inclusion as a Summer Peer Mentor and Academic Mentor for first-year students. In Economics, he is particularly interested in the intersection of data, international macroeconomics, and policymaking.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Oyindamola Akinrogbe

Mary Akinrogbe is a junior from Maryland pursuing a double degree in Economics and Mathematics (Statistics track) at the University of Maryland, College Park. Mary is currently a research assistant in the Agricultural & Resource Economics Department and has experience as a summer research assistant and a research intern in the federal government. She is particularly interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics, focusing on labor, education, and health economics.

AEASP 2025 Scholar Salma Abdi

Salma Abdi (she/her) is a Research Assistant at the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she conducts research on racial wealth inequality, disparity studies, and economic justice. She also serves as the Director of Federal Affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government, leading federal lobbying efforts and working directly with legislators on policies affecting students and marginalized communities. 

AEASP 2025 Scholars