Meet Nancy Nguyen ’26, an Economics major with a minor in Statistical and Data Analysis. She was drawn to economics by a curiosity about how incentives shape decisions and how markets respond to them. By pairing economics with data analysis, she has been able to move beyond theory and work directly with real evidence, building skills she hopes to apply in a future career in product management within the tech industry.
One of Nancy’s most meaningful academic experiences started as a regular assignment in her junior-year Econometrics class. For the project, she wrote a paper titled Trade Openness and Economic Growth in Asia, where she studied how international trade affected 30 Asian economies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data and empirical analysis, she looked at whether trade helped stabilize economies during that period or made them more vulnerable. What made the project stand out to her was realizing it didn’t have to end with a grade. She decided to submit the paper for publication, and it was later accepted by the Case Western Reserve Journal of Economics. She will also present her research at the Issues in Political Economy Conference in New York, continuing to share her work beyond Wooster.
When asked what makes studying economics at Wooster different, Nancy points to the close relationships students build with their professors. She says the faculty encourage students to take their work seriously and think about how it connects to the real world. Instead of treating a paper as just another assignment, professors often push students to develop their ideas further, whether that means expanding a project, pursuing research, or exploring publication. For Nancy, what stands out most is how accessible and supportive the professors are. She feels comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas. That level of mentorship, she says, is what makes the department feel personal rather than overwhelming.
Another experience that stood out to Nancy was participating in an AMRE team during the summer of 2025. She worked closely with faculty advisors on a community project in downtown Wooster. In partnership with OHuddle and the Mental Health Recovery Board, her team helped create and launch an augmented reality mural in the Wooster Arts District. The mural includes interactive student-made animations and videos that viewers can access through a QR code. More than just the final product, the process itself was meaningful. Nancy applied the analytical skills she developed in her economics courses and helped guide the project from planning to launch. She appreciated that faculty mentors treated students like collaborators and challenged her to think more carefully about her ideas. The experience gave her more confidence in managing complex projects and showed her how classroom learning can have a real impact in the community.
Nancy encourages future economics students to look for ways to apply what they learn beyond the classroom. She believes that while economics builds strong analytical thinking, it is just as important to develop practical and technical skills along the way. Building those skills, she says, makes it easier to take on challenging projects with confidence and adjust when things don’t go as planned. At the same time, she reminds students that they don’t have to figure everything out on their own. The Economics Department at Wooster is built on close relationships, and professors and classmates are always willing to help. Asking questions and reaching out for support, she says, can make a big difference.