Henry Young

Stamps 1693 Scholar

Hometown

Evanston, IL (Evanston Township High School)

Major

Economics major, Math minor

Why W&M

Throughout the entire college process, I was lost. I held many preconceived notions on the perfect college for high-achieving students and became engrossed with what college rankings and metrics said, rather than find a place where I could actually thrive. It was not until I stepped onto William and Mary’s campus that I began to reconsider my most basic assumptions about the college process. As I spent more and more time at William and Mary, I began to realize that this was a place where I could actually see myself. I finally found a place I could call home.

William and Mary is my home for pragmatic reasons, too. My favorite subject areas, economics and international relations, are some of the strongest departments in the college. A strong liberal arts education in conjunction with research opportunities with top notch professors enables me to learn and apply my findings outside of the classroom. I am firmly under the belief that students must learn in a holistic manner, meaning some of the best learning experiences take place outside of the classroom. The college empowers students by giving them ample opportunities to work alongside professors, co-author papers, and get involved in clubs.

Yet when it came down to nit-picking between my college options, what really sold me on William and Mary was the warm, vibrant community. I soon realized the most valuable facet in the college process could not simply be quantified by some online college website. At the very beginning of my visit it was apparent that the William and Mary faculty genuinely care about your presence on campus. From students collaborating on joint projects to visiting class seminars where professors were excited to teach, the comradery and excitement I found was simply unparalleled. I could visualize myself here, and I knew I found my home for the next four years.

Awards and Honors

Phi Beta Kappa
Terry Glenn Memorial Scholarship- merit scholarship awarded to select W&M economics majors
2017 Winner of Invictus Financial Group Case Competition
2017 Winner of William & Mary Global Innovation Challenge

Research & Internships

William & Mary & Addis Ababa University Honors Fellow- Summer 2019 to Spring 2020
- Conducted Honors Thesis Research at Addis Ababa University, advised by faculty from both universities
- Empirically assess the historical spill-over effects large-scale farming has on local peasant agriculture and agro-processing firms
- Collaborated with administrators from the National Archives, Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Central Statistics Agency to obtain primary source data and gain a better understanding of the historical context
LEAD Africa Intern - Summer 2019
- Designed the application process for LEAD Africa’s second academy, alongside LEAD Africa’s academy officials
- Created surveys and collected baseline data to understand the differences in characteristics between student-athletes the academy accepts versus rejects for future impact evaluations
Global Research Institiute, Summer Research Fellow - Summer 2018
- Collaborated with Professor Philip Roessler, researcher at the Global Research Institute, and three other students to implement an impact evaluation for LEAD Africa’s flagship academy in Monrovia, Liberia
- Designed and administered academic tests, cognitive assessments, gender, and ethnicity surveys to over 140 students
Economic Historian Research Assistant, Northwestern University - Summer 2017 & Summer 2018
- Wrote literature reviews and conducted data analysis on Labor Unrest during the Depression over two summers
- Consulted Professor Carola Frydman on research design for the Great Depression Mortgage Banking project

W&M Activities

William & Mary Club Soccer Team
Center for African Development Research Team Leader
- Co-lead 8-person research team to obtain commodity export data for Global Spatial Inequality Project
Co-Leader of the Monrovia Football Academy Project
- After we complete our proof of concept white paper, I will be working with Professor Roessler to reach out to grant-awarding institutions to expand the project and ensure sustainability.
- Restructured protocols and survey instruments to expand LEAD Africa project into a cross-national study