What do the 2024 celebration of Undergraduate Awards of Academic Excellence in Economics and the Oscars have in common? Both award ceremonies were held the same month, and both recognized accomplishments from the year before. Four days before the Oscars, on March 6, the Department of Economics took time to acknowledge some stellar performances of the 2022-23 academic year.
There was much for both undergraduate students, faculty, and undergraduate staff to celebrate.
“You have made the choice to fully engage with academics while you are here,” said Professor Robert Gazzale, Associate Chair of Undergraduate Programs, in his opening remarks. “There is something in every course, there is something in every class, that is new, exciting, and interesting.”
Held in the lead up to exam season, the event took many students out of their study routines for the evening for a welcome break.
“I think being a student can be a really myopic time where you’re always focused on the next assignment or next test,” said Ronica Li who won the Department of Economics Essay Prize in Economic Policy. “It was lovely to take a step back and see how far I’ve progressed in my education, and to meet some brilliant students who have done great things.”
There’s a lot to be said for getting out from behind desks and screens.
“It’s encouraging to have validation for your work, and it’s nice to have some recognition,” said William G. Wolfson Scholarship in Economics winner Jessica Hendren Schwalb. “Economics research can be isolating, and I think we’re often all alone in our corners working with data.”
There were also donors of scholarships in attendance. In honour of her late husband, Dr. Louise Harris presented one of the two Arthur Hosios Scholarships in Economics to Chloe Chayo.
“I wanted to establish the award because I wanted Arthur’s name to live on in the department where he invested so much of his time,” Dr. Harris explained, “and where he had so much enjoyment in creating an environment of intellectual inquiry.”
The awards ceremony is an important event on the Department of Economics’ calendar.
“It’s my pleasure to be involved in bringing students, faculty and donors together at the department to celebrate academic excellence across our student body,” said Undergraduate Program Administrator Sally Wong who organized the event. “It’s our way of saying congrats to all award recipients and thanking donors for their generous support!”
And the winners are:
The Alexander Mackenzie Scholarship in Economics — Ketaki Sarin
The Arthur Hosios Scholarship in Economics – (first prize) Rose Jiatian Zhang and (runner-up) Chloe Chayo
The Banker’s Scholarship in Economics – Yuwen Zhao
The Brian Mulroney Award – Spencer James Lambert
The Donald Dewees Undergraduate Award – Yucheng Shen
The Frederick G. Gardiner Scholarship in Economics and Political Science – Emily Downing
The Jack L. Carr Scholarship – Amanda Young
The Mary Child Scholarship in Economics – Ethan Ying Chan
The Mary Keenan Awards – Victor Popa Burca and Jia Xiao
The Nanda Choudhry Prizes in Economics — Victor Popa Burca (Year II), and Ka Yu Audrey Tam (Year III)
The Noah Meltz Undergraduate Award in Labour Economics – Amedeo Gennaro Cunsolo
The Paul L. Nathanson Scholarship in Economics — Gloria Yang
William T. Jackman Scholarship in Corporation Finance or Transportation Economics – Ka Yu Audrey Tam
The Ramsay Scholarship in Economics — Ketaki Sarin
The Reza Satchu Award for Excellence in Economics – Rose Jiatian Zhang
The Robert C. Douglas Public Finance Award – Arjun Chaudhuri
The Safarian Scholarship in Economics – Anisha Nasrin Islam
The Smith Family Scholarship in Economic Policy – Nina Uzunovic
Department of Economics Essay Prizes in Economic Policy – Ronica Li and Elissa Chrapko
The Stefan Stykolt Scholarship in Economic Theory – Hanyong Eden Zheng
The William G. Wolfson Scholarship in Economics – Jessica Hendren Schwalb
To learn more about these awards and scholarships, visit the undergraduate awards page.
Return to the Department of Economics website.
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