Kristin Thorin, 2011

What I valued most about my experience as an economics student at UM-Flint was the small class sizes and opportunity to interact with my professors and classmates. While economics can be a challenging degree, I always felt supported by the department staff and my classmates; which I don't think I would have found anywhere else.

Kristin is currently a Senior Program Manager at the American Hospital Association (AHA). She has held various roles at the AHA including working on several national programs with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In her current role, she supports policy and advocacy efforts for the AHA's physician agenda. 

Matt Sharkey, 2012

I was considering going into Finance or Accounting, but I remember reviewing the Economics website at UM-Flint and being intrigued, so I decided to meet with Professor Paula Nas. I was sold quickly after talking with her, since Economics coursework provides great knowledge that you can apply to various industries. 

I found that every single professor I had during my time at UM-Flint was passionate about teaching their subject, easily approachable, always open to conversation, and were genuinely invested in my success. It felt like I was in smaller classroom with a more personal experience, and even today some 8 years after my graduation, I can still reach out to them for advice or information about anything. 

My coursework taught me a lot about how to handle big data, how to be a skeptic and analyze data, and how to try to bring solutions to any problem with quantitative reasoning to back it up. I honestly believe that after graduating from UM-Flint with my Economics degree, that I could enter just about any field and be successful.

Matt is currently a Forecasting and Quoting Analyst at N.S. International, a Japanese owned automotive supplier, supplyng instrument panel clusters and heads-up displays (HUDs). Prior to this recent position, Matt has help positions as a Quality Engineer, Financial Analyst, Senior FP&A Analyst, and a Business Consultant. 

David Roz, Economics, 2010

I started freshman year as a Pre-Med major before realizing I wanted to attend law school; so I decided to pursue a dual major in Economics and Political Science. 

Studying Economics at UM-Flint provided me with a smaller, more intimate education setting; enabling my academic success, and the opportunity to know my professors and peers on a personal level. In fact, my (now) wife, Carmelle, was an Economics student at UM-Flint when we met. The education and relationships, in a nutshell, are what I value most from my experience.

David is currently the CEO of Rozbud Consulting; providing licensing, compliance, and management consulting services to the legal cannabis and hemp industry. David successfully passed the Michigan Bar Exam in February 2020, and plans to transition his current practice into a broader business and real estate legal practice within an established law firm. 

Eion Lange, B.S. in Economics, 2020

I decided to study economics at UM-Flint while I was taking a macroeconomics course as part of my acturial mathematics degree. I saw how applicable it was to broad sections of society, so I switched majors.

My UM-Flint Economics education prepared me for success after graduation in a many ways, but the most important was faculty support; Dr. Douglas helped me with all of my PhD applications, and by working with Dr. Lutzker I was able to study independently on topics I'm interested in.

Eion is currently a part-time research assistant for UM-Flint's Department of Outreach, and is staring his PhD in Economics at Michigan State University in Fall 2020.

Alexander Zilinski, B.A. in Economics, 2020

I decided to study Economics because it requires analytical thinking, math, theory, and everything else in between; setting me up for success in any field.

I valued the opportunity to work closely with professors; at bigger schools it is hard to develop relationships because of class size, but at UM-Flint, it felt like a family atmosphere and I knew help was always an email or office visit away.

My Economics studies have prepared me for success in the future, and while the work was rigorous, the professors worked on behalf of the students, and that is something that I will not forget. 

Alex is planning on attending law school in Fall 2020.