Stephanie Rennane graduated from UM with a Bachelor of Economics in 2008. After graduation, Stephanie went on to earn her Master of Arts in Economics (2013) and her Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (2106 expected) from the University of Maryland. Stephanie will begin work with the RAND Corporation upon graduation, “I'm very excited about going to RAND. I'm interested in doing policy-relevant research while still having the opportunity to pursue some independent, more academic-style research projects, so RAND feels like a very good match for me.” As for her UM roots, “Michigan laid the foundation for what I've been able to do so far in my career. My experiences as a student and as an undergraduate research assistant got me excited about economics and led me to pursue a career in research. The faculty helped guide me into my first job out of undergrad and the coursework gave me the preparation I needed to succeed in grad school. They've continued to be very supportive even since I've left Ann Arbor. Go blue!”

Corina Mommaerts graduated highest honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 2008. After graduation, Corina went on to earn her Master of Arts in Economics (2012), Master of Philosophy in Economics (2013) and her Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (2016 expected) from Yale University. Corina will be a tenure-track professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after spending a year on a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Bureau of Economic Research

Professor Jeffrey Smith remembers, “Both were bold enough to take my economics 495 course the first time I offered it. They were roommates at the time. They were also the stars of the class. Both then went on to work at the Urban Institute (which just hired our current undergraduate star Lea Bart) for a few years before starting their doctoral work.”

Congratulations again to Stephanie and Corina! Find out more information about the honors program and ECON 495 here!