Graduate TA Spotlight – Sungmin Park

Sungmin Park is a PhD student in the Department of Economics studying macroeconomics. This semester, Sungmin is a TA for Introduction to Microeconomics (ECO 182). During the winter and summer sessions, you can find Sungmin teaching Introduction to Macroeconomics (ECO 181)!

Why did you choose economics? Why did you choose your subfield?

SP: Economics studies all human behaviors and social phenomena. Especially, macroeconomics is about economic wide-phenomena. I chose my major since I was attracted to those points.

Which class in the major has been your favorite and why?

SP: I like all classes of economics. It is very hard for me to choose only one.

What research are you working on right now?

SP: My current research topic is social security and economic growth. I am trying to identify the effect of social security on economic growth using panel data.

Fast Facts

What was your favorite class as an undergrad?

SP: My major was not economics when I was in undergraduate. Back then, I first took the course titled Principle of Economics 1 for fun. I cannot forget that class since it brings me to today. So, that class was my favorite.

What is your top piece of advice for your students?

SP: Keep yourself healthy! I believe that we can do anything if we are healthy in both physically and mentally.

What is one thing that you recommend students do while at UB?

SP: I hope that students will experience various kinds of activities in UB as well as getting academic knowledge.