This two-semester engagement with the Fed Challenge course has profoundly deepened my understanding of economic principles and expanded my professional skill sets. Moving beyond the foundational concepts of introductory economics, the Fed Challenge created a practical application that has proven to be the most rewarding course I have taken, thanks to the leadership of past participants and Professor Smirnova. 

Initially, my work experience in banking naturally sparked my interest in enrolling on the Money & Banking course. In this course, I was introduced to the complementary Fed-Challenge course. While daunting at first, I came to understand that the course was self-paced, and student driven. Each week required me and my peers to actively lead discussions and deliver in-depth analysis, to build a comprehensive story of the trend of the general economy, and how it relates to shaping the policy decision for the Target Range of the Federal Funds Rate. 

The course required rigorous, real-time application of advanced economic concepts. Focusing on the Growth section of the economy involved deep dives into core macroeconomic metrics like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), dissecting its components and its implications to monetary policy. Furthermore, the work necessitated a sharp understanding of leading indicators (Real GDPNOW and consumer confidence) and a comprehensive analysis of domestic and international risks (such as the impact of trade tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty). This practical experience cemented my knowledge of monetary policy transmission mechanisms and the complex trade-offs associated with setting policy. 

The Fed Challenge framework pushed me to develop core skills essential for future career development. Foremost critical thinking was established, as the course structure required the evaluation of vast amounts of economic data, the ability to discern signals from noise, and construct a cohesive evidence-based narrative around our policy recommendation, while continuously re-evaluating our decisions on a weekly-basis. Simultaneously, this experience required me to develop abilities to navigate and successfully extract information from complex databases like the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to give credible and communicative analysis of the growth within our economy. 

This is an experience that has been the highlight of my studies in UCONN. If you have a spark of curiosity in pursuing this experience, I highly recommend it. I could not have asked for a better course advisor, as well as team to collaborate with.