Becky Schneirov, a fourth-year student majoring in economics (quantitative methods concentration) and statistics at Case Western Reserve, is a leader amongst her peers. In addition to serving as president of the Weatherhead Economics Society, Schneirov is a founding member of the Women in Economics Club (of which she later became vice president). And as a teaching assistant in the Department of Economics at Weatherhead School of Management, Schneirov helps her peers reach their full potential in the classroom.
But that’s not all she does on campus. Schneirov is in several on-campus ensembles as a clarinet player. Further tapping into her musical interests and sharing them with students across campus, Schneirov helped found the CWRU Chamber Collective.
Beyond that, she’s a resident assistant.
Get to know Schneirov and find out where she’s heading after graduation.
Answers have been lightly edited for length and style.
1. What drew you to CWRU?
When I was looking at different colleges to apply to, CWRU really stood out to me because of its great balance of STEM and liberal arts. There weren’t many other schools on my list with high performing STEM majors as well as a balanced liberal arts curriculum. Although, the thing that really stood out most to me was how friendly and welcoming everyone on campus was during my two different visits.
2. Why did you decide to study economics and statistics?
In all honesty, I made the decision to pursue economics and statistics [my first year] because those were my favorite classes I took in high school. However, I had no idea what I would want to do as a career that would involve those majors.
At the end of my first semester, I decided to take econometrics, a course on the application of statistics to empirical economics, upon the encouragement of my economics advisor at the time, Dr. Jenny Hawkins. Taking that course made me realize that I wanted a career in economics, and from that point I worked to pursue opportunities in economic research.
3. What are your post-grad goals?
Eventually, I hope to pursue my PhD in economics and work in either the public sector or in academia. I love economics because it helps explain how the world works, and in the end I just want to end up in a place where I can make positive change, whether that’s through teaching and making the field more accessible, or through public policy.
4. What internships or other experiential education opportunities have you had? What are some of the most important things you’ve learned from them?
Most of the experiential education opportunities I have had are in the realm of economic research. Beginning in my sophomore year, I worked on a research project studying the effect of clustering on manufacturing firm survival under Dr. Daniel Shoag and Dr. Susan Helper.
Through that experience and others, I was really able to learn the basics of doing research in economics, including conducting data analysis and reviewing past literature.
Most recently, I had the opportunity to work as a research intern at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on the Regional Economics team. During this internship, I worked for several economists and supported their research. Throughout the summer, I contributed to research regarding the emerging geography of electric vehicle plants, the evolving makeup of remote work as we reach a steady state of the pandemic, and the impact of the pandemic-recession on the labor market.
It was incredible to work with so many people who are so passionate about what they do, and to learn from the past experiences of the research assistants and economists on my team.
5. How did you land your post-grad position with the Fed of Chicago? What are you most looking forward to?
After spending my summer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as a research intern, I was offered the opportunity to return full-time as a pre-doctoral research assistant because of the quality of my work. I’m really excited to return and continue to apply all of the skills I’ve gained throughout my time at CWRU. I’m also looking forward to taking a few courses at the University of Chicago to better prepare myself for graduate school applications.
6. What advice would you give to peers looking to secure a job after graduation?
My best advice is to seek guidance from as many people as possible. I would not be where I am today without the help of professors, mentors, and friends, and family.