Nikita Patel – October 2020
Texas A&M Department of Economics Amazing Student
October, 2020
Name: Nikita Patel
Hometown: Irving, Texas
High School: Coppell High School
Degree objective: After four years, I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a concentration in Work and Organizations, and a Master of Science degree in Financial Economics from Texas A&M University.
Expected graduation: May 2021
University highlights, awards, scholarships: Summa Cum Laude, Dean’s List (x6), Economics FastTrack Program, American Airlines Scholar (x4)
Clubs/Organizations I am (was) a part of: I was the President as well as the former Treasurer of an environmental and economic sustainability organization called Net Impact. Additionally, I was Treasurer of the most diverse women’s organization on campus, Aggie Arrows. I also had the opportunity to serve on Texas A&M’s Undergraduate Academic Appeals Panel for 2 years, and I attended a service trip to Panama through A&M’s Global Legal Empowerment Brigades.
Current employment: Currently, I work at the Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center. I began my employment there my sophomore year as a Tour Guide giving campus tours to prospective students. My junior year I moved up to the Ambassador position, so along with giving tours I am able to help with office operations as well. This is my third year at the Visitor Center and I have recently been promoted to the role of Tour Director. Along with my previous tasks, I now manage our new tour guide certification process and coach my peers on tour improvement
Family ties to Texas A&M:My father (Class of ’91) has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M.
I chose to attend Texas A&M because… I chose to attend Texas A&M University because I saw it as a place of inclusivity with core values I could strive to exemplify. I genuinely believed that being a student here would help make me the best version of myself that I could be. When choosing a school, I wanted to attend a college where I felt I could be focused enough to excel academically and still enjoy my four years of schooling. While many universities made me feel like I could do one or the other, Texas A&M made me believe I could do both. Luckily, I have never regretted this decision and my original beliefs have definitely proven to be true.
My favorite things to do on campus are… My favorite things to do on campus are going to football games on Kyle Field, napping on the Flag Room couches, and giving campus tours of A&M
When I have free time, I like… When I have free time, I like playing board games with my friends, watching TV shows on Netflix, and reading either dystopian fiction or feminist novels.
The craziest thing I’ve done is… The craziest thing I’ve done is jump off a cliff in Belize. I was on a hike so I was fully clothed and I can barely swim, but if someone says I can’t, I have this burning desire to prove them wrong, so I did. While it was crazy it was definitely exhilarating!
My favorite place to study is… My favorite place to study is in the Flag Room. No food is allowed so it keeps me from stress eating while reading my textbooks and the couches are conveniently located in case I need a power nap.
My favorite ECON professor is… My favorite ECON professor is Dr. Schulman! He is a great professor, an Aggie, and I highly recommend taking him for a class if you ever have the chance.
My favorite part of being an Economics student is… My favorite part of being an ECON student is the subject matter. I find economics genuinely interesting, so I actually enjoy learning the material needed to succeed in my classes. I also love the fact that it is such a versatile major, so with an ECON degree I have a plethora of job opportunities available to me.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with… If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is my role model and an inspiration, notorious even, so I would be absolutely honored to spend time with her. Even with everything life has thrown at her, she persists, and I hope to live my life with a similar tenacity. She is an extremely intelligent woman that I know I could learn a lot from because even without any personal connection she has taught me to know my value, accept no excuses, and own my ambition. Because of this, I would really love to meet her even if only to say thank you.
If I knew I could not fail, I would… If I knew I could not fail, I would do stand up comedy.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to… If money was not a consideration, I would pursue JD degree and a Ph.D in Economics and Law.
What is your passion and how are you committed to pursuing it? I am passionate about women’s empowerment. We live in an imperfect world, there is no doubt about that, and while it may not seem like I can change the world in a huge way right now, I stand up and support something I believe in. I think we all have the power within us to make our world just a little bit better, a little bit fairer, and I try to do that by drawing attention to women’s rights and realities and creating as much open dialogue about it as I can. I am mindful about acknowledging my own inner, implicit biases and showing others they may have them too, so we are all able to do our best to avoid them. Keeping in mind that the absence of women in positions of power is a guarantee that women’s interests will continue to be minimized, ignored, or repressed, I hope to gain a position of power in my industry some day so I can be an advocate for this cause.
After graduation, I plan to… After graduation, I plan to work at PwC as a Tax Associate.
The one Texas A&M experience I will always remember is… The one Texas A&M University experience I will always remember will be the day I received my Aggie Ring.