Pursuing an education in economics aligned with grad's passion for mathematics

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2022 graduates.

Thomas Pozsonyi is the recipient of the Department of Economics Dean Medal for Fall 2022, which recognizes the top graduating student in the economics program at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Pozsonyi grew up in Tempe, and attending Arizona State University was always on his mind. Even in high school, he thought like an economist. He understood that he could get a high-quality education at an affordable cost. Furthermore, pursuing an education in economics aligned with his passion for mathematics.

The most important idea Pozsonyi learned as an economics student is how to examine any situation or decision as a series of options that have benefits and costs — especially opportunity costs. “Regularly, actively thinking about this idea has helped me become more aware and consistent in how I approach diverse situations,” he said.

In his studies, Pozsonyi has found that economics principles apply to real-world problems. “There are other majors that can accomplish this to some degree, but one can do this with economics to a great extent,” he said. “It’s been great for considering and answering the ‘why’ question in any given situation.”

Pozsonyi offered the following advice to current and future economics students: “Learn algebra and calculus well! As a tutor, I’ve seen that a lot of students start to do much better in their economics classes as their math skills improve. If you can sharpen those before you get into intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics, you will be well prepared.”

When asked about impactful individuals that helped him get to the point, Pozsonyi first thanked his family and close friends for their support. There are also many faculty at ASU that he’s grateful for.

“I've had a lot of great professors at ASU who have helped push me farther in my studies or challenged me. Of all the professors I've had, I would like to specifically thank Dr. Edward Schlee, Dr. Fernando Leiva Bertran, Dr. Rajnish Mehra and Dr. Saule Moldabekova Robb.”

Pozsonyi is graduating with three degrees from ASU: economics, mathematics (with an emphasis in statistics) and Russian. After graduation, he plans to join a consulting company and eventually attend graduate school, with a focus on economics, finance or statistics.