%20edited.jpg)
Kayla Jones is a 2018 graduate of Morgan State University located in Baltimore, MD where she earned her BS in Economics. She is an alumni of the American Economic Association Summer Program from 2016 and 2018 (Foundations and Advanced track). Both of these experiences cultivated and solidified her goal of wanting to obtain her doctorate in Economics. Currently, Kayla is participating Research Scholar Initiative program hosted by Graduate School for Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. Upon completion of this program, I plan to begin a PhD program in economics. geared towards helping minorities prepare for doctoral studies in economics. My research interests revolve around consumer and household finance and how low to moderate income communities can have safe and sound access to credit and capital.
Brandy Edmondson is an incoming doctoral student at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She is pursuing a degree in Business Administration in the research division of Work and Organizations which combines methodologies used in economics and management to answer questions regarding labor economics, human resource management, and organizational behavior. Brandy’s research interests surround topics of diversity and inclusion in organizations. She is a 2016 graduate of Spelman College, where she earned her BA in Economics. Immediately following graduation, Brandy conducted research at Columbia University in Management. She then joined the PhD Excellence Initiative at New York University, where she participated in a two year pre-doctoral fellowship under the tutelage of Peter Blair Henry, a renowned African-American economist. Brandy also participated in the American Economic Association Summer Program in the summer of 2017 to prepare for doctoral study.
Thandi Weza is a New York native, who has received her BA in Economics from Spelman College in 2015. After undergrad, Thandi participated in the 2016 American Economic Association Summer Training Program. Shortly after she attended New York University and obtained her MS in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics in Fall of 2017. She currently works in Benefits at the New School in Manhattan, administering the university's benefit plans including health insurance and retirement. She has plans to further her graduate education in 2019 by entering a PhD program in Public and Urban Policy. Thandiwe wishes to conduct research on U.S. policies that affect those on government assistance programs like SNAP, ACA, etc. and other benefits and labor economic issues.