Graduate Student Ambassadors

Through their personal experience as graduate students in our Applied Economics and International and Development Economics programs, our Student Ambassadors are a valuable point of contact for prospective students. Student Ambassadors are available to connect with interested applicants, answer questions, and held navigate resources available at USF and the Economics department. 

If you are a prospective or admitted student, please feel free to reach out to our Student Ambassadors. 

Student Ambassadors will not be able to provide guidance on specific questions regarding applications and admissions policies and procedures, or any questions that involve specific personal information. Please contact the Admissions Team, via econ@usfca.edu (for MS AE) or idec@usfca.edu (for MS IDEC), for these types of questions.

Meet our Graduate Student Ambassadors

Sofia Iantorno

MS in Applied Economics

Hi! I’m Sofia Iantorno, a first year student in the MS in Applied Economics program at USF. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a specialization in Quantitative Analysis and a minor in Italian from San Diego State University.

I chose the Applied Economics program at USF because of its emphasis on combining economics with data science, as well as its stunning location in San Francisco. The Applied Economics program focuses on building knowledge in programming languages like Python and R through courses like econometrics and machine learning.

I am happy to chat about coursework, work and study balance, adjusting to grad school, or any other related questions. Feel free to reach out!

Contact Sofia at ssiantorno@dons.usfca.edu

Jacinta Duncan

MS in International & Development Economics

Hello! I’m Jacinta Duncan, a second-year student in the MS International and Development Economics (IDEC) program at USF. I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a minor in Economics from San Francisco State University. 

I chose the IDEC program at USF because of its unique approach to development economics - whether you’re interested in agriculture economics, poverty alleviation, gender, etc.. there’s space for you here. The IDEC program at USF combines theory with econometrics to train students professionally and to support future research. IDEC also has an incredible summer field research opportunity! I spent the summer between my first and second year in Italy with a small group of students learning the mechanics of designing and conducting a field experiment in behavioral and experimental economics. 

If you have any questions about coursework, IDEC summer field research, balancing work and study, or San Francisco living - don’t hesitate to reach out!

Contact Jacinta at jbduncan2@dons.usfca.edu