Matthew Dalzell – Reflection

Throughout this course, I have learned many things about the economy. In particular, I was responsible for researching the labor market for our group presentation, and I discovered many connections in the data to immigration and the housing market. I also learned how to simplify an argument down to key facts or variables for a stronger position. 

Additionally, our exploration of foreign affairs in China also helped me to conceptualize how markets work and how outside markets influence the United States of America. Another aspect of the U.S. economy that I learned more about is how the government operates and the influence that politics has on the value of money. A deep dive into the Federal Reserve also showed me how the government’s power over the money supply is limited, and the processes the government uses to collect data and make decisions, locally and nationally. 

Moreover, I have learned valuable teambuilding skills, such as talent management and the importance of camaraderie. During our project, individual strengths were utilized by distribution of work across different sectors, as well as to leadership and speaker roles. In addition, building a community is vital to the success and survival of a team; however, the concept can also be applied to how the economy and society operates at large.  

In the end, I have achieved valuable recognition to be a part of the Federal Reserve research team because of the team’s high work-ethic, motivation, and expertise. Having experienced my role on such an integral team, I have also achieved a greater sense of purpose due to my contributions. Even though we did not make the national competition, our team’s success is the still the most significant achievement I have obtained over the semester. 

This year, I was able to grow in many ways because of the hands-on approach of Practicum. Specifically, I have become a better communicator because of how the class orients around public speaking and presenting. I have also grown to be a better researcher, and I am excited to apply what I have gained on my next project.