Devin Anthony chose to major in Business Economics because he wanted a field that offered flexibility and a wide range of career possibilities, allowing him to explore different interests before deciding on a specific path. Coming to Wooster, he was drawn to the program’s balance between theory and practical application.
Throughout his coursework, Devin has found that Business Economics provides both depth and versatility. The major has helped him develop strong analytical skills while learning how to apply economic concepts to real-world business problems. What interested him most about the business track was the opportunity to combine data analysis with a deeper understanding of how organizations operate. This mix of economic insight and operational perspective has shaped how he approaches problem-solving and decision-making across different fields.
One of Devin’s most meaningful experiences in the Economics Department has been the connection between his coursework, research, and professional work. In his Econometrics course, he explored the relationship between financial literacy and sports betting persistence after a promotional period ends. This topic became the foundation of his Senior Independent Study. Currently his research project examines whether individuals with higher financial literacy are less likely to continue gambling once promotional offers expire. He has already begun drawing on his coursework to connect behavioral economics with how people make decisions in the real-world of sports-betting.
Last summer, after his econometrics course, the experience of designing his own dataset, running regressions, and interpreting results helped Devin develop the analytical skills to secure an internship with Howmet Aerospace’s Structures Business Unit. Howmet Aerospace is a company that supplies major firms such as Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin. In his Sales & Marketing internship, he worked on econometrics and business forecasting projects, analyzing how variables like metal prices, aluminum costs, and inflation affect profitability. The tools and perspective he gained from his econometrics and behavioral economics courses helped him approach business problems with a data-driven mindset and a deeper understanding of how people and markets behave.
When reflecting on what makes studying in Wooster’s Economics Department special, Devin points to the strong sense of community. He emphasizes how the department’s small class sizes create a collaborative environment where students frequently work with the same peers across multiple courses. That familiarity, he says, makes it easy to share ideas and learn from one another both inside and outside the classroom.
He also values the close relationships students can build with their professors, especially through the Independent Study process. The opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty advisor over the course of a year has been an important part of his academic experience. For Devin, these connections, with both classmates and professors, are what make studying economics at Wooster unique.
Among the many opportunities available through the department, two experiences have been especially meaningful for Devin. Outside the classroom, joining the Jenny Investment Club during his junior year was a turning point. Although he joined later than most members, he quickly learned how to analyze and pitch stocks. By winter break he was writing his own investment thesis for companies and presenting his own ideas to the club. The experience helped him build confidence and apply his analytical skills in a practical setting while connecting with peers who shared similar interests. In the classroom, he highlights the value of independent research projects, particularly in Econometrics and his Senior Independent Study. Having the freedom to choose his own topic and explore it over multiple semesters allowed him to take full ownership of his learning. For Devin, being able to study something he’s truly interested in has been one of the most rewarding parts of studying economics at Wooster.
For future Economics students at Wooster, Devin’s main advice is to take advantage of the opportunities to explore and discover what truly interests you. He believes that Wooster provides the tools and resources to help students identify their passions, even if they don’t know what those are at first. Once you find a topic or area that excites you, he says, it’s worth pursuing it fully. For him, the most rewarding part of his time at Wooster has been using both curricular and co-curricular opportunities to follow his interests turning his curiosity into meaningful work.