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The Miami Herbert Undergraduate Research Program empowers minds and ignites discoveries while unleashing the potential of tomorrow's innovators.
(Pictured First, Left to Right - Kylee Edwards and Professor Athena Tsouderou)
During the program this Fall, Kylee Edwards, a junior majoring in Finance and Economics, and Professor Athena Tsouderou examined mortgage origination and refinancing trends in the U.S. They explored variations in trends based on borrower gender and marital status.
"Our goal is to understand what factors contribute to gender gaps in mortgage decisions, like income and education, while considering other borrower and mortgage characteristics.
-Kylee Edwards
"This program offers Kylee broad research experience — from literature review, data collection, and analysis to report writing and presenting findings. Kylee's standout quality is her entrepreneurial mindset, actively seeking new databases previously untapped in academic research and asking fresh, insightful questions."
- Professor Athena Tsouderou
(Pictured Second, Left to Right - Professor Rong Hai and Elisa Della Mea)
Elisa Della Mea is a junior student pursuing a major in Economics and Business Analytics. Together with Professor Rong Hai, she conducted research on the financial system's lack of access, which leads to increased wealth inequality. The research project aimed to measure the impact of racial disparities in financial inclusion on the observed wealth gap. They found that differential access to financial institutions accounts for about 10% of the racial wealth gap in the United States. The study also suggests that financial inclusion policies can help reduce racial wealth inequality by increasing the net worth of African Americans relatively more.
"Working under Dr. Hai's guidance has been an amazing opportunity for me to advance toward my dream of a future in research. It was a great privilege to have the chance to collaborate with Dr. Hai; her support has been fundamental to my learning process. I am very grateful to Miami Herbert for granting me this invaluable experience!"
- Elisa Della Mea
"Elisa is a highly motivated and dedicated student who excels in her analytical and writing skills. She has done outstanding research assistant work for my research project. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with her, mentor her, and witness her research skills grow."
- Professor Rong Hai
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