SCHOLAR
Pursue the depth of knowledge and decode the world using rigorous academic methodologies.
LINE 01 : The Academic Trail
From Curiosity to the International Stage - The Emergence and Deepening of Business Interests
THE SPARK
DEEP DIVE & New Perspective
Inspired by the classroom discussions, in order to learn and apply economic theories more comprehensively, I participated in the "National Economics Challenge". During the competition, I worked closely with my teammates and eventually achieved a sixth-place finish in the global competition. However, when conducting business case analyses, I discovered a problem: although economic knowledge can predict the impact of interest rate changes on total investment, it is difficult to quantify its specific effects at the individual micro level. This is a common issue in economics. Therefore, I decided to shift my research focus to a more practical direction - business applications.
It started with a single line in an economics classroom: "Sunk cost is not a cost." For me, I had always weighed every gain and loss carefully, this was a shock. The idea that rational decision-making means letting go of what's already spent. That one sentence pulled me in. I began to see that economics is not just about numbers and charts, but about how people think, choose, and sometimes get it completely wrong.
PIVOT TO BUSINESS
My interest in economic theory gradually shifted toward real-world application — business and finance. In the Student Investment Challenge, I dove deep into stock markets, wrote investment reports, and built portfolios, connecting economic theory to real capital markets for the first time, wining global Top8 in the end.
RESEARCH·CEO Facial Expressions & Stock Prices
Born from my fascination with stock market, I partnered with a UIUC professor on a computational finance study, exploring how CEO facial expressions influence stock price volatility. This research brought my journey full circle: from the behavioral economics to its measurable impact on financial markets. Data science met human irrationality, and the loop was closed.
LINE 02 : The Field Path
Examining the injustices in the real world from an economic perspective
INVISIBLE WORKFORCE
During a hotel internship, a casual conversation with a delivery worker.He spoke of being enslaved by algorithms—of shrinking delivery windows and penalties that could wipe out half a day’s wages. As someone studying economics, I realized this wasn't just a social issue. It was a living case study in labor economics, standing right in front of me.
RESEARCH
I designed a research plan, walked into delivery stations with my friends, conducted face-to-face interviews with riders, and collected firsthand data on working hours, income structures, and safety protections.
I compiled the field data into a comprehensive research report, submitting it to Chinese food delivery companies
INVISIBLE WORKFORCE
This research taught me a profound lesson: economics should never stay confined to papers and competitions. It should be used to understand real people and real struggles, and push for even the smallest change. And change did come: the delivery platform announced a pilot program to eliminate overtime penalties for riders across 21 cities.
I believe that a true scholar is not a collector of knowledge, but a solver of problems.