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Amazing Student – Keaton Hedman

Texas A&M Department of Economics Amazing Student
April, 2023

Name:

Keaton Hedman

Hometown:

Portland, OR

High School:

West Linn High School

Degree objective:

Masters of Science in Economics; Improve my coding and technical abilities in order to earn a position in data analytics or data science.

Expected graduation:

May, 2023

University highlights, awards, scholarships:

First semester 4.0 and 3.5 GPA overall, Econ MS Scholarship, Non-Res Competitive Scholarship Tuition Waiver

Clubs/Organizations I am (was) a part of:

BGSA (Black Graduate Student Association)

Current employment:

Interning with Charles River Associates.

Family ties to Texas A&M:

None

I chose to attend Texas A&M because…

They had the exact program that I wanted which was a mix of economics, data analysis/data science, financial analysis, and math. The weather is also typically very nice and it was obvious everyone in the econ department put in a lot of effort and care to what they do.

My favorite things to do on campus are…

Relax! There are a ton of great places to unwind whether its sunny or stormy.

When I have free time, I like…

To watch movies, workout, work on learning new languages, and travel!

The craziest thing I’ve done is…

Bungee jumping in South Africa or cliff jumping in Jamaica.

My favorite place to study is…

My house. I’m able to multitask fairly well so I can watch a movie or sports and get my homework done.

My favorite ECON professor is…

Dr. Tian. The class was Math Econ but he made it fun to learn and was very encouraging throughout the semester!

My favorite part of being an Economics student is…

How well rounded the program is. You aren’t just learning economic theory, you have to learn the technical, mathematic, and analytical sides as well. You then have to be able to clearly communicate the things you are doing so that others are getting your message.

If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…

Neil deGrasse Tyson. He could answer all the random questions that pop into my head.

If I knew I could not fail, I would…

Play the lottery.

If money was not a consideration, I would love to…

Travel the world! Traveling and data analysis are very similar. You may have an idea of what is happening from a more objective view, but when you get closer you see things are much more intricate and may surprise you!

What is your passion and how are you committed to pursuing it?

Traveling and just new experiences in general! I love being in new places, trying new foods, and doing new activities. The world is extremely diverse, why not experience as much as you can?

After graduation, I plan to…

Move to Dallas and work at American Airlines (and travel a lot)!

The one Texas A&M experience I will always remember is…

Presenting my Capstone project. It was the point in my degree where I was able to put all the things learned in my classes and all the hard work I did on my own into a project and share a topic I thought was interesting.