Abigail Meloche: Bachelor of Economics
Abigail Meloche was passionate about mathematics and finance throughout high school. This, along with seeing empty store shelves during the pandemic, sparked her interest in economics.
“When I saw what was happening in the global market, I thought it would be interesting to pursue a degree in economics,” recalls Meloche. “I found it intuitive to use resource constraints as a basis for problem-solving.”
One of the biggest reasons why the Windsor, Ontario native chose Carleton as her school was Carleton’s capital advantage. “My goal was to one day work in research at the Bank of Canada so I thought, being in Ottawa, I would have an advantage in terms of networking and opportunities.”
Meloche’s plan eventually came to fruition. In her third year, she was selected for Carleton’s team for the Governor’s Challenge at the Bank of Canada, where undergraduate students present policy recommendations to a committee. Selected to be one of the top five university teams in Canada, her group competed at the National Finals.
“It was a fantastic experience. Through networking with Bank employees during the event, I learned how the Bank makes decisions and what the day-to-day looks like,” says Meloche.
Meloche also gained research experience through the Carleton University Research Opportunity (CUROP), an undergraduate research internship project undertaken with a faculty advisor over the summer.
Both experiences helped prepare her for her next experience: she has accepted a year-long research assistant position at the Bank of Canada.
“I hope to gain more insight into macroeconomics and forecasting and to acquire knowledge for graduate school.” In fact, Meloche has a jump-start on her MA: she is already taking graduate-level courses which helped her write her senior thesis.
“I explored the impact of monetary policy on inequality in housing,” says Meloche. “It’s important for policymakers to consider this to ensure that less affluent people are not disproportionately impacted”
Along with the academic opportunities, Meloche really appreciated the support she received from the economics department and fellow students.
“One of the highlights is the opportunity to build community in the program. The class sizes and the student-to-TA & professor ratio is also very good,” she notes. “Earning a degree takes a village, and that support is available in Carleton’s economics department.”