Meet the 2024-25 NABE Scholars

The NABE Scholars Program is a key initiative of The NABE Foundation first offered in 2020 to expand opportunities in the profession for economics students and early-career economists from diverse backgrounds. Each year, early-career economists and economics students from groups underrepresented in the profession are named as NABE Scholars and awarded complimentary registration to four NABE conferences and one CBE continuing education course. Scholars also receive a complimentary NABE membership and a stipend to help offset travel costs to attend events. Interested in supporting the NABE Scholars Program? Please consider a donation to The NABE Foundation. 

Meet the 2024-25 Class of NABE Scholars below! 


Fatima Airan, Development Economist
Fatima Airan is a development economist. She holds a Master's degree in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford, where she was a Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust Scholar, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the American University of Central Asia. Fatima has over three years of experience working for the government of Afghanistan. During this time, she also contributed to various research initiatives that provided policy recommendations until the collapse of the Afghan Republic. Fatima aims to contribute to developing empirical, data-driven policies, aimed at reducing poverty and enhancing the lives of people in developing countries, particularly those in conflict and fragile states. 

Paul Baffoe, Bay State Milling Company
Paul Baffoe began his studies at the University of Cape Coast, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in Economics. He later pursued graduate studies at St. Cloud State University, where he focused on Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, focusing on issues like national debt, fiscal policy, and food security. His master's thesis, "Open Macroeconomics," examined the impact of U.S. fiscal policies on international monetary decisions. Paul gained practical experience as a Quality Assurance Technician at Bay State Milling Company, where he researched production cost analysis in gluten-free product manufacturing and implemented a supply chain model to regulate the high-demand volatility of Raw Materials to capitalize on Spot sales. He has been recognized for his achievements and leadership contributions, receiving honors like Student-Mentor Collaboration Grants and the Michael D. White Economic Fellowship.

Christina Bass, Wells Fargo
Christina Bass holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Geosciences, and is currently serving as a Tax Associate in the Tax Utility Group at Wells Fargo. Her professional background in finance and banking has equipped her with valuable skills in tax analysis and financial operations. However, her true passion lies in urban economics. She is eager to shift her focus towards analyzing critical urban issues, including housing dynamics and local government finance. Over the next phase of my her, she is determined to make a meaningful impact in urban economic development, leveraging her academic foundation and professional experience to address these complex challenges effectively.

Helena Benedetti, H.I.G. Capital
Helena Benedetti is a Financial Analyst at an alternative investment firm in Miami, Florida, with a focus on Private Equity. Specializing in Co-Investments, Helena is instrumental in providing insightful information for company valuations and is known for her ability to automate processes, thereby increasing efficiency. Helena holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Florida International University, complemented by a minor in Business Analytics. It was during her time at university that she discovered a passion for business, coding, and data analysis, which she has since integrated into her professional life. Committed to continuous learning and professional development, Helena is currently enhancing her knowledge in the field of Finance. Her background in data analysis allows her to bring a fresh and unique perspective to her work. As she continues to grow in her career, Helena aims to leverage her skills and experiences to make significant contributions to the field.

Yi Cui, PhD Student in Economics and Statistics, UNC-Chapel Hill
Celine Kimata, Economics Partners at Ryan
Celine Kimata is currently a Senior Analyst at Economics Partners at Ryan where her work consists of intangible property and complex asset pricing, business valuations, and in-depth transfer pricing consultation. Celine graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a B.A. in Economics and B.S. in Mathematics. She previously worked at CFA Institute focusing on technical applications in finance and economics as well as global analytics. In the coming years, Celine aspires to earn a Master of Economics degree as well as pursue several specialized certifications to further leverage her skills in economics and financial analytics as a professional economist.

Grace Kneidel, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Grace graduated from Rice University with bachelor’s degrees in Mathematical Economic Analysis and Spanish. Currently, she is a Senior Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia where she supports research about zoning and housing affordability. As an undergraduate, Grace was a Health Economics Intern at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. She also worked on a project studying home ownership by race in Houston’s historic red-light district. She is excited to be a NABE scholar and learn about the field of business economics.

Chuxin Liu, JPMorgan Chase

Miguel Montoya, KKR
I am currently an associate at KKR on the Global Macro team where I assist with economic forecasting for the US and with investment due diligence across various investment strategies. Before joining KKR, I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School. While at Penn, I developed a deep interest in economics, and in particular the intersection of the global economy and financial services. I was able to visit countries like India, Japan, Brazil, and Argentina where I developed a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of the world economy. As an undergrad, I also completed internships in Equity Research at Goldman Sachs and in High Yield Credit at Oaktree Capital Management.

Lucas Moyon, Federal Reserve Board
Lucas is a Research Associate in the Current Macroeconomic Conditions section at the Federal Reserve. He is responsible for maintaining an advanced suite of models that estimate unobserved variables in the economy like the natural rate of unemployment and potential GDP. In college, Lucas gained analytical experience at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, where he co-published four articles examining the impacts of COVID on unemployment, state government budgets, and community colleges. He has also worked at Bank of America and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and has published twice in the Wall Street Journal editorial section. Lucas hopes to attend graduate school in business or law and pursue a career that combines these interests with economics, physics, and astronomy, which were his majors at the College of Charleston.