AEASP | Howard University Department of Economics

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Subodh Raj Pandey is a Ph.D. student in Economics at Howard University in Washington, DC, specializing in Labor, Urban, and Health Economics. Currently, he is working as a research fellow at the Center for Equitable Economy and Sustainable Society. His work focuses on the policy implications of involuntary commitment laws, the effects of housing wealth, and the dynamics of self-employment versus wage employment. Outside academia, he enjoys traveling, playing games, and watching movies.

Le Thi Nguyen, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at Howard University, brings a distinguished academic background from Vietnam, having secured the first rank in both B.S. and M.A. degrees. With an impressive 14 years of experience in research, teaching, and writing book chapters in microeconomics and macroeconomics, her expertise lies in analyzing the impact of fiscal and monetary policies on economic growth. She extends this knowledge to the micro-level, studying customer and firm behavior and researching policies to enhance export activities in Vietnam.

Department of Economics

AEASP 2025 Scholar Grace Etzel

AEASP 2025 Scholar Stevi Dugas

AEASP 2025 Scholar Layla-Marie Davila

AEASP 2025 Scholar Nathan Callahan

AEASP 2025 Scholar Luwam Balihu

AEASP 2025 Scholar Leonardo Andrade

AEASP 2025 Scholar Oyindamola Akinrogbe

AEASP 2025 Scholar Salma Abdi

AEASP 2025 Fellow Subodh Raj Pandey

AEASP 2025 Fellow Le Nguyen