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Meet our Award Winners

Deibler Award Winners

Hannah Emmons

Hannah Emmons

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be working at Boston Consulting Group as an Associate in the Chicago office.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Achieving a balance between pursuing my various academic interests and making time for extracurriculars and fun!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I was a member of the Northwestern Marching Band for 4 years!

Max Flinchum

Max Flinchum

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be joining the Investment Banking Division at Barclays in New York this coming July.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
As a transfer student, I am most proud of the fact that I was able to transition into an unfamiliar, competitive environment and have a high level of academic success. Joining NU in the middle of my college career, I was unsure how I would perform and fit into the broader Northwestern community. However, I decided to take the risk, giving myself the opportunity to graduate top of my class with honors in Economics!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I played college basketball before transferring to Northwestern!

Jake Mandel

Jake Mandel

What are your plans post-graduation?
Analyst at The Blackstone Group

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
The senior MMSS thesis I wrote alongside two close friends

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
My great-great grandmother and her family were supposed to be on the Titanic to come to the U.S., but after she became ill, they all stayed back and didn’t end up getting on the ship

Varun Sehgal

Varun Sehgal

What are your plans post-graduation?
Working as an Investment Banking Analyst at Macquarie Capital

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Making the most of my time here and not having any regrets as I graduate.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I went to boarding school in the Himalayas.

Viktor Tchaouchev

Viktor Tchaouchev

Thesis title:
The Effects of Social Gathering on the Spread of Covid-19

What are your plans post-graduation?
Undecided

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Perhaps getting the award in Math for a first year student or finishing my senior thesis.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am a passionate climber and windsurfer, but who knows if that is interesting.

Eisner Award Winner

Desmond O'Shaughnessy

Desmond O'Shaughnessy

Thesis title:
Efficacy of Rainfall Index Insurance as an Agricultural Risk Mitigation Tool: Evidence from Northern Ghana

What are your plans post-graduation?
Pre-doctoral Research

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
My proudest achievement at NU is completing the BA/MA program.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am a triplet

Coen Award Winners

Eliana Buckner

Eliana Buckner

Thesis title:
Medical Mergers: Exploring Impact on Concentration and Quality in Medicaid Managed Care Markets

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be a Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve in DC

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Writing my thesis! It feels like a great summary of everything I’ve learned.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I’m a transfer student – Go Cats!

Abigail Furdak

Abigail Furdak

Thesis title:
The Impact of Framing on Decision-Making in the Context of COVID-19

What are your plans post-graduation?
Working as a Private Banking Analyst in New York

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Finishing my thesis!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I met Ruth Bader Ginsburg on my school trip to Washington in 7th grade

Ginny Ip

Ginny Ip

Thesis title:
The Impact of Climate Change on Energy Poverty: Evidence from the European Union, 2004-2019

What are your plans post-graduation?
Analyst at Charles Rivers Associates, Energy Practice

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Finishing my honors thesis and getting third at the Undergraduate Research Expo for my oral presentation

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am deathly afraid of chickens.

Justin Karlin

Justin Karlin

Thesis title:
Subjectivity in ADHD Diagnosis based on a Child’s Relative Age

What are your plans post-graduation?
I am moving to Washington, DC to attend law school at George Washington University.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
I submitted a senior thesis in economics and received departmental honors.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I really like road-biking.

Lexie Modeas

Lexie Modeas

Thesis title:
Mother Knows Best: Determinants of Vaccination Decisions by Parents and the Case for Liability in Infectious Disease Spread

What are your plans post-graduation?
I am moving to Boston and working as a strategy consultant

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Finishing my thesis!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I love building IKEA furniture.

Enzo Bastos Profili

Enzo Bastos Profili

Thesis title:
Progressive Policies in Latin America and Indebtedness: a Theoretical Approach

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be working as a Pre-Doctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
It is still to come! Graduating in engineering and economics is a dream come true.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I have only convinced myself I was an ECON major in Junior year.

Honors Recipients

Nicholas Abushacra

Nicholas Abushacra

Thesis title:
Determinants of Employment Rates by Sex and Education Across U.S. States, 1992-2019

What are your plans post-graduation?
Working at Precision Economics in Washington, D.C.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Completing my senior thesis and being on the executive board of Dance Marathon at the same time!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am Lebanese-American

Eliana Buckner

Eliana Buckner

Thesis title:
Medical Mergers: Exploring Impact on Concentration and Quality in Medicaid Managed Care Markets

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be a Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve in DC

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Writing my thesis! It feels like a great summary of everything I’ve learned.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I’m a transfer student – Go Cats!

Andrew Clark

Andrew Clark

Thesis title:
Equal in the Eyes of the Law? Factors beyond Pollution in the EPA’s Enforcement of the Clean Air Act

What are your plans post-graduation?
Law School (sko Buffs!)

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Leading for PWild my sophomore year

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
Give me 5 hours and I can genuinely draw anyone’s portrait (in charcoal!)

Aaron Coates

Aaron Coates

Thesis title:
The Concept of Genre: An Analysis of Contemporary Popular Music

What are your plans post-graduation?
I am starting a job as a Forecasting Analyst at NielsenIQ in Chicago

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Serving as Publisher for North by Northwestern magazine and successfully leading their fundraising efforts

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I have a vinyl record collection.

Tianzhuo Deng

Tianzhuo Deng

Thesis title:
Determinants of Accidental Poisoning Fatality Rates Across U.S. States, 1999-2019

What are your plans post-graduation?
Yale Asset Management Program

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Surviving Econ+MMSS

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I sleep till ~3,4 pm everyday when things become virtual

Jack Ferry

Jack Ferry

Thesis title:
The Impact of Unemployment, Income, and Cash Transfer Payments on Suicide: Evidence from the U.S. and Alaska, 1976-2019

What are your plans post-graduation?
Investment Banking at Greenhill & Co. in Chicago

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Completing the MMSS Econometrics sequence

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan!

Abigail Furdak

Abigail Furdak

Thesis title:
The Impact of Framing on Decision-Making in the Context of COVID-19

What are your plans post-graduation?
Working as a Private Banking Analyst in New York

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Finishing my thesis!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I met Ruth Bader Ginsburg on my school trip to Washington in 7th grade

 Satvic Garg

Satvic Garg

Thesis title:
Valuing Football (Soccer) Players: An Econometric Analysis of Player Transfer Fees

Saksham Goel

Saksham Goel

Thesis title:
The Effects of Patent Expiration on Prescription Rates of Different Branded and Generic Drugs

What are your plans post-graduation?
Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Successfully completing my senior thesis in a topic area I had limited knowledge about.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I went to a boarding school in the foothills of the Himalayas at the age of seven.

Joshua Gruen

Joshua Gruen

Thesis title:
Twister: Untangling the effects of the CDBG-DR grant on Joplin, MO

Hongrui He

Hongrui He

Thesis title:
An organizational study on how to solicit truthful reporting of evidence from an investigator

What are your plans post-graduation?
Research Assistant at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Helping organize the second year of NET for high schoolers

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I watch at least one movie weekly.

Max Hyman

Max Hyman

Thesis title:
The Value of the Middle Seat

What are your plans post-graduation?
Pre-doc at UChicago!

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
I found academic success and I have great friends. I’m off to UChicago, too, combining my interests in medicine and economics. Truly a dream come true.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
Rumor has it I’m related to Adam Smith.

Ginny Ip

Ginny Ip

Thesis title:
The Impact of Climate Change on Energy Poverty: Evidence from the European Union, 2004-2019

What are your plans post-graduation?
Analyst at Charles Rivers Associates, Energy Practice

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Finishing my honors thesis and getting third at the Undergraduate Research Expo for my oral presentation

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am deathly afraid of chickens.

Justin Karlin

Justin Karlin

Thesis title:
Subjectivity in ADHD Diagnosis based on a Child’s Relative Age

What are your plans post-graduation?
I am to Washington, DC to attend law school at George Washington University.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
I submitted a senior thesis in economics and received departmental honors.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I really like road-biking.

Blake Krantz

Blake Krantz

Thesis title:
Outfoxed by Foxconn? The Fiscal Impact of Large Corporate Subsidies on State Public Education Funding

What are your plans post-graduation?
Working at Oliver Wyman in Chicago

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Turning in my senior thesis this spring to complete my Economics and MMSS requirements

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I learned to ice skate before I learned to ride a bike

Thomas McGing

Thomas McGing

Thesis title:
Public Health: The Impact of Economic Conditions and the Presence of Superfund Sites on Cancer Rates in Pennsylvania, 1990-2019

What are your plans post-graduation?
To ultimately work in a public policy position.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
As the president of Wild Roots, it has been a joy to watch this small gardening club grow from one member, myself, to well over a hundred active members. We have grown rapidly despite this pandemic and are working together to boost sustainability initiatives and grow food that we can donate back to those in need in the Evanston community.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I collect and restore antique radios and bikes, and hope to one day restore an antique car.

Lexie Modeas

Lexie Modeas

Thesis title:
Mother Knows Best: Determinants of Vaccination Decisions by Parents and the Case for Liability in Infectious Disease Spread

What are your plans post-graduation?
I am moving to Boston and working as a strategy consultant

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Finishing my thesis!

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I love building IKEA furniture.

Desmond O'Shaughnessy

Desmond O'Shaughnessy

Thesis title:
Efficacy of Rainfall Index Insurance as an Agricultural Risk Mitigation Tool: Evidence from Northern Ghana

What are your plans post-graduation?
Pre-doctoral Research

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
My proudest achievement at NU is completing the BA/MA program.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am a triplet

Samyak Jain

Samyak Jain

Thesis title:
Determinants of Motor Vehicle Crash Fatality Rates Across U.S. States, 1990-2018

Viktor Tchaouchev

Viktor Tchaouchev

Thesis title:
The Effects of Social Gathering on the Spread of Covid-19

What are your plans post-graduation?
Undecided

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Perhaps getting the award in Math for a first year student or finishing my senior thesis.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I am a passionate climber and windsurfer, but who knows if that is interesting.

Hannah Paridis

Hannah Paridis

Thesis title:
America’s Pollution Divide: A Study of Racial Disparity in the Impact of Air Quality on Health

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be participating in Northwestern ISEN’s Master of Science in Sustainability and Energy for the next year.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Definitely this moment is my proudest achievement, having my family around me as I graduate from NU in three years with honors.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I spent 6 months of this year living in Australia, working as a barista while I wrote my senior thesis. I hope to move back to Sydney when I finish my Master’s degree.

Enzo Bastos Profili

Enzo Bastos Profili

Thesis title:
Progressive Policies in Latin America and Indebtedness: a Theoretical Approach

What are your plans post-graduation?
I will be working as a Pre-Doctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
It is still to come! Graduating in engineering and economics is a dream come true.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I have only convinced myself I was an ECON major in Junior year.

Kaloyan Valchev

Kaloyan Valchev

Thesis title:
Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Economic Outcomes

What are your plans post-graduation?
I am joining PwC’s Strategy& as an associate.

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
My most memorable achievement and one of the best experiences I have had is leading the NU Club Tennis team to the bronze medals at the USTA Tennis On Campus Midwest Championship in Winter 2020, right before the pandemic. What makes me really proud is that I feel like I was able to establish the competitive culture at the club in a way that makes club members even more excited to play, forming a strong community. I am happy to see these values being transferred on to the incoming players. The team is already among the strongest in the US, and I am sure it will reach new heights in the coming years.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I used to be an international tennis competitor representing my home country Bulgaria in my junior years. One of my most notable victories was against the current world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Victor Wang

Victor Wang

Thesis title:
Stock Price Reactions Associated with Steel and Aluminum Tariff Exclusions and Firm Partisanship

Yintian Zhan

Yintian Zhan

Thesis title:
The Efficiency of Chinese College Admission Mechanisms: a Perspective from Matching Theory and Online Learning Algorithms

What are your plans post-graduation?
Quantitative research analyst at AQR Capital Management

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Having to receive a lot of emails from Professor Witte for all kinds of reasons

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I was really interested in microeconomic theory before taking 410 sequence but now I am less certain

Michael Zhou

Michael Zhou

Thesis title:
Settling the Debate: The Impact of High School Spending on Extracurricular Activities and Debate on Future Academic Success

What are your plans post-graduation?
Paralegal at the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division

What is your proudest achievement at NU?
Winning a College Mock Trial All-American Outstanding Attorney Award

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I was born in Canada!