Maurquez Thompson
Maurquez Thompson, first-year student at Stanford University and one of the valedictorians of Brainerd High School’s 2023 graduating class, was selected for the Expanding Diversity in Economics Summer Institute.
The EDE program was launched by Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at The University of Chicago in 2021 and aims to increase diversity in economics through finding and supporting outstanding undergraduates who are interested in the field. Through the EDE Summer Institute, BFI and the Hutchins Center are dedicated to fostering a new generation of academics and professionals who draw on the tools of economics to offer new perspectives and research ideas, and eventually make a positive impact in the world.
The EDE Summer Institute will take place from June 6-29, with two weeks of programming on the UChicago campus followed by one week in Washington, DC, hosted by the Hutchins Center.
The 45 participants in the 2024 cohort were selected through a holistic and rigorous evaluation process involving nearly 1,000 applications. The cohort represents 33 universities across 17 states. The majority of participants (91 percent) are first- or second-year undergraduate students, with an average GPA of 3.7. Approximately 42 percent are first-generation college students. Twenty-nine percent of the cohort identify as Black or African American, and 30 percent as Hispanic or Latinx.
The Chicago-based programming will focus on microeconomic research and applied economic analysis, giving students a rare chance to participate in programs including technical skill building, daily course instruction from faculty, guest talks, and field trips.