Mario

I was born in America’s most culturally diverse county, Queens, New York. My Colombian and Puerto Rican immigrant parents moved to Queens in hopes of bettering their lives and the lives of their relatives back at home. This strong value of community and shared responsibility my parents demonstrated when moving to the United States are principles I cherish, and follow passionately. I am currently a student at Binghamton University, studying mathematics, economics, and psychology, but was previously a business administration major with an interest in finance at Queensborough Community College. While at Queensborough, I had the opportunity to tutor my peers, participate in the New Haven Mock Trial Tournament, study the United Nations’ millennium development goals abroad in Austria through the Salzburg Global Seminar, and preside over the Math Club and International Business Honor Society. These experiences, in many ways, refined my future goals in life and cleared my vision to tackle the larger challenges that face our global community.

Through my knowledge  and life experiences, I have become well aware of the world’s disparities. I have realized that not everyone is given an equal opportunity to succeed, and so I wish to institute change through economic policy to create measures of support, stability, and equal opportunity for all people. To make an impact of such magnitude I would need to gain a better understanding of not only the international markets but also human psychology, which is precisely why I plan on becoming a behavioral economist. I trust that the New York Needs You Fellowship will connect me with the resources and opportunities necessary for carrying out my vision for the world.