Irvin Claudio – February 2020
Texas A&M Department of Economics Amazing Student
February, 2020
Name: Irvin Claudio
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
High School: Saginaw High School
Degree objective: Saginaw High School
Expected graduation: December 2021
University highlights, awards, scholarships: Regent’s Scholarship, Liberal Arts Cornerstone Honors Program, Jacquelene M. Browning Memorial Scholarship recipient, Georgia Tech FOCUS Scholar, AEASP Scholarship Recipient. Dean’s List (Spring 2018, Fall 2018)
Current employment: I am currently an assistant TA in the Economics Department.
Family ties to Texas A&M: First generation Aggie.
I chose to attend Texas A&M because… I was immediately drawn by the tradition and camaraderie of the Aggie spirit. I was invited to a tour in the latter part of my senior year of high school and immediately fell in love with the school and everything it had to offer.
My favorite things to do on campus are… My favorite thing to do on campus is going to football games. I have not missed a single home game since coming on campus. I enjoy the atmosphere and being together with friends, as well as all of the tradition and yells that we do in the stands
When I have free time, I like… In my free time, I like reading books from Evans Library. With a wide selection of Econ books and a Starbucks in the first floor, I can spend all of my free time there in the weekdays. On the weekends, I enjoy visiting family and friends.
The craziest thing I’ve done is… The craziest thing I have ever done is meeting and taking a picture with Vice President Mike Pence.
My favorite place to study is… My favorite place to study is Evans Library. There are individual study rooms, a Starbucks in the first floor, and different floors with varying levels of noise
My favorite ECON professor is… My favorite Economics professor is Dr. Meer. I took his ECON 202 class and, although I didn’t get to meet him in that class, I noticed that he was an extremely intelligent professional. I am currently working on a student thesis with him as part of the EUROP program and he has guided me through the whole process, from fundamentals of research, to applicability of economic theory. He has mentored me in a variety of aspects in the field of economics and is the type of professor I aspire to be someday.
My favorite part of being an ECON student is… My favorite part of being an ECON student is the flexibility to study whatever interests me. Even in the Master’s Program, there is a wide variety of different subfields of Economics that can be studied PAGE 2 further once the basics are covered. Many of my fellow econ majors have gone to study Business, Finance, Marketing, and other fields once they finish their Economics degree. The flexibility that the program offers to its students is amazing. As an undergrad, I have been able to take a quantitative-heavy coursework to prepare me for higher levels of education.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with… Milton Friedman.
If I knew I could not fail, I would… Apply to an Ivy-League PhD Economics program
If money was not a consideration, I would love to… Go visit other countries around the world.
What is your passion and how are you committed to pursuing it? My passion is Economic research and the ways it can be applied to be helpful to the world.
After graduation, I plan to… I plan to enter a PhD Economics program, earn my Doctorate in Economics, and someday become an Economics Professor.
The one Texas A&M experience I will always remember is… Putting on my Aggie Ring in front of my friends and family. It made me proud of how far I have come in life and the struggles it took me to achieve it.