Skip to main content

Undergraduate Spotlight

Undergraduate Fall Events

Jim Hornsten and the bonfireWelcome Back Bonfire

On a beautiful night in early October, undergraduate students and faculty gathered on the Evanston campus lakefill for a bonfire to kick off the new academic year. Students made s'mores, met the leaders of the department's student organizations, and enjoyed conversation with faculty around a roaring bonfire. The second iteration of a new annual tradition for the department, the bonfire is a wonderful way to welcome students and faculty back to campus to come together as they look forward to a great new year ahead.

Getting a PhD in Economics Annie Liang and Matthew Rognlie

In November, department faculty Profs. Annie Liang and Matthew Rognlie led an informational evening of discussion that covered everything students need to know about getting a PhD in Economics. Attendees ranged from freshmen who are just beginning to explore their options post-graduation, to seniors who are actively applying for post-bac opportunities. Prof. Liang and Prof. Rognlie shared experiences and expertise from their time in graduate school and answered questions from students about how a PhD may fit in to their long-term goals.

Feed Your Mind with Joel Horowitz

Later in November, department Prof. Joel Horowitz led a Feed Your Mind lunch and learn, a quarterly event that brings together a small group of undergraduate students to have lunch and intimate conversation with a member of the department faculty. During the lunch, Prof. Horowitz spoke about his unconventional path to becoming an econometrics researcher (including a PhD in physics!) and his time working at the EPA in Washington, D.C. during the Watergate scandal. This event was particularly special because Prof. Horowitz will be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 academic year, making the lunch an exclusive opportunity for students to speak with Prof. Horowitz before he retires.

Joel Horowitz and students

Student Organizations

Womxn in EconomicsWomxn in Economics (WiE)

The Womxn in Economics group opened fall quarter with their Welcome to WiE event in September where group leadership spoke to new and returning students about everything economics at Northwestern. In October, the organization brought a group of students to the Chicago Fed’s Exploring Pathways in Economics program where students could hear from working economics about the myriad career paths that an economics degree can provide. During fall quarter, the group also ran a study buddy program, held in person study sessions, and presented to students about tips and advice for economics course registration.

Northwestern Economics Tournament (NET)

The Northwestern Economics Tournament team spent fall quarter preparing for their next tournament which will take place in-person on the Evanston campus on April 4, 2026. Registration for the 2026 tournament opens mid-January and the team anticipates another full roster of high school teams from around the United States and internationally.

Undergraduate Economics Society

This fall, the Undergraduate Economics Society co-hosted the department’s Feed Your Mind lunch with Professor Joel Horowitz and began preparing for their next year of activities. UES finalized their new executive board which will assume leadership in January 2026.

Chicago Public Schools Financial Literacy Outreach (CPS FLO)

Chicago Public Schools Financial Literacy Outreach was very busy in fall quarter, sharing their financial literacy curriculum with students from three different Chicago-area schools and teaching multiple classes at each school. The curriculum, created entirely by the student members, consists of 6-7 sessions, occurring weekly or bi-weekly. Explore more of the important work CPS FLO does here.

CPS FLO co-presidents Maya Gjelhaug ('28) and Rachel Garich ('28) share more about their organization and the impact it has on schools in their local community: 

Chicago Public Schools Financial Literacy Outreach (CPS FLO) is an organization of NU students with the mission of providing financial literacy education to economically disadvantaged high schools in Chicago.

Last fall, CPS FLO launched our new 7-week curriculum, covering topics ranging from budgeting to insurance to post-secondary planning. We were also able to completely transition from virtual to in-person teaching, thanks to the Northwestern Economics Department! CPS FLO delivered over 35 in-person sessions in our pilot curriculum season and is on track to teach over 60 additional lessons this spring. Here’s what one of our partner schools says about CPS FLO: 

"All of the presenters were very knowledgeable, informative, and positive… Teaching students about financial literacy is a great building block to empower our young adults, so I sincerely appreciate our partnership."

Members of CPS FLO come from all disciplines at NU, including journalism, computer science, engineering, history, and (of course!) economics. Here’s what our members say about their experience: 

“Being able to work with students has been a privilege. As weeks passed, being met with increased participation and enthusiasm while teaching was an experience I won’t forget.”

“CPS FLO is an amazing community that has allowed me to give back to Chicago and better my own finance knowledge!”

If you are interested in being a part of a meaningful and engaging organization (no prior knowledge required!), please email us or contact co-presidents Maya Gjelhaug and Rachel Garich for more information.

Students teaching a workshop
CPS FLO instructors in the classroom.

 

 recent news from Undergraduate Alumni

Are you an undergraduate alum of the Department of Economics who has news you'd like featured in a future newsletter and our LinkedIn alumni group? If so, let us know!

Back to Newsletter