Congrats to Jadrian Wooten, 2026 Co-Recipient of the Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Economic Association. Our students are lucky to learn from you, Dr. Wooten.

Congrats to Arin Shahbazian on successfully defending his PhD dissertation, which looks at how financial incentives can drive lasting behavioral change in weight control programs. Well done, Dr. Shahbazian! 🎓

We’re excited to announce the 2026 Friends of Economics Scholars! 🎉 🏅 Katrina Dant (Virginia Beach, VA) 🏅 Eavan Driscoll (Charlottesville, VA) 🏅 Anthony Troiano (Pembroke, MA) Learn more about our outstanding #EconHokies and their plans for the future!

Congrats to Dr. Ross Spoon, who just defended his dissertation on asset market instability. His work has looked at what GameStop can teach us about bubbles, short squeezes, and trader stress responses. Well done, Ross. 🎓

Congrats to Priya Bandyopadhyay, who defended her PhD dissertation this week. This fall she joins the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics (@SC_GSSM) as an instructor. Well done, Dr. Bandyopadhyay.

Djavad Salehi-Isfahani was quoted in the New York Times this week on the economic implications of the U.S.-Iran agreement. Read his take: nytimes.com/2026/06/19/busin…

Calling all Richmond area Econ Hokies! Our first Alumni & Friends Social in RVA is on the books 🍺 📅 Wed, Aug 13 | 6–8 PM 📍 @Hardywood Craft Park Brewery 🎟️ $10 (apps + drink ticket) Register → aimsbbis.vt.edu/econrva26

VT Econ PhD graduate Nandini Das found that giving farmers more information can actually backfire. Her research helped redesign a training program that cut pesticide use by up to 50%. That's the kind of work that matters! Full story: news.vt.edu/content/news_vt_…

Dozens of our alumni and friends gathered in Arlington for our annual Alumni & Friends Happy Hour. It was a wonderful evening of reconnecting, catching up, and sharing all the exciting things happening in Blacksburg. We can't wait to do it again next year! 📸: Brian Hollar

Adilynn Walker is an Economics grad and a newly commissioned officer in the @USNavy on her way to becoming a Surface Warfare Officer. Our Chair's Excellence Award couldn't go to a more deserving Hokie. Congratulations, Adilynn, and thank you for your service.

The Chair's Excellence Award goes to Pascale Kuo. She currently works for the @RichmondFed, but while on campus, she was President of the Econ Club, an Econ Games competitor, an undergrad researcher, a peer mentor, and so much more. Congratulations, Pascale!

Nick Fleischman completed his Economics degree in three years, is spending this summer interning at the Richmond Fed, and will return this fall to complete his Accelerated MA. Some Hokies don't slow down. Congrats, Nick!

Meet Sophia DellaPenna. Economics grad, two-time Mastercard intern, teaching assistant, tutor, researcher, intern with @hokiesports, and @VT_Science Ambassador. What a resume! Congrats, Sophia!

Three years of high-level involvement, experiential learning, and academic excellence. That's what earned Hannah Banks and Katrina Dant our Outstanding Junior Awards. Congrats to you both!

Congrats to Fredric Reese and Caroline Williamson, our Outstanding Sophomore Award winners. Two years in and already thinking big! Fredric is headed toward financial markets and policy. Caroline is planning to pursue her master's, either at Virginia Tech or somewhere abroad.

Congrats to Baylin Fidler and Abigail Lee, our Outstanding First Year Student Award winners. They've only had one year on campus, and they've already made an impact! We can't wait to see what's next for these two. 🎓