Taking On Challenges and Making a Difference: a Purdue Journey
Name: Jackson Lusk
Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Major & concentration: Agricultural Economics
Minors or certificates: Statistics, Math, Economics
Why did you come to Purdue: With a first-rate agriculture school being so close to where I lived, Purdue was a fantastic option.
Favorite Purdue tradition: Fountain run
Top three influences at Purdue:
- Todd Kuethe
- Brenna Ellison
- Andy Oppy
Top five memories of your time at Purdue:
- Going on spring break trips with friends
- Competing at the University of Chicago Econometrics competition and getting to see James Heckman
- Watching in Mackey as Purdue made it to the finals of March Madness
- Doing Envoy events to help the Ag Econ department
- Judging debate tournaments for my high school throughout the season
Places you have been as a Purdue student:
- Austin, Anaheim, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Atlanta – Agricultural Economics Quiz Bowl
- Louisville, Kentucky – Internship with Farm Credit Mid-America
- Chicago – Econometrics competition at the University of Chicago
- France for a study abroad for the Ag Econ department
Favorite club/organization: Purdue Economics Association
Favorite student-led event/initiative: Ag Week
Favorite Purdue event: Digital Ag Fest
Favorite social activity: Hanging out with friends at the end of a long week
Favorite place to study: HSSE library
Favorite place on campus: Rawls Hall
Favorite thing about CoA: The close-knit community of people that are so nice to one another and willing to help each other out however possible
Favorite thing about your major: The ability to take a huge diversity of courses throughout my time at Purdue from math to statistics back to economics and they are all relevant to my major.
Favorite class: Econ 372 - Experimental Economics
Favorite professor: Colin Sullivan
Coolest project: I did research with Dr. Todd Kuethe, where we tried to see how wind turbines affected the price of rural farmland
Three biggest accomplishments:
- Getting a poster accepted to the AAEA conference
- Serving as the president of the Purdue Economics Association for two years
- Being one of the Top 5 Outstanding Juniors
Accepted employment: Going to grad school
Career goal: Conducting research either as a professor or in industry
Advice for underclassmen: The hard things are usually the most worth it. It feels incredibly rewarding to have taken on large challenges and succeeded, so do not stray away from a challenge.
Biggest takeaway from Purdue: I have gained a wealth of knowledge and connections from Purdue that I am extremely grateful for and that will surely help me throughout my career.