Economics graduate balanced school, leadership, and work to create her future

Amneet Pawar’s time at Richland High School was marked by school spirit, academic success, and, notably, an opportunity to earn college credit through a partnership with Central Washington University's College in the High School program.

When it came time to decide where she was headed after graduation, those 20 college credits, along with her proximity to Ellensburg, led to a decision she hasn’t regretted since.

“Central was perfect,” Pawar said. “It’s right in the middle of the state, it’s a quick drive, and there’s a lot of academic diversity, so I was able to bounce around and figure out what major worked for me without delaying my graduation.”

After initially enrolling as a law and justice major, Pawar didn’t feel like she had found her path forward. That uncertainty inspired her to look for other majors that might better suit her curiosity.

“I need to be able to do research, and I don’t want to sit behind a desk all day,” she said. “So I reached out to one of my professors, who introduced me to the field of economics, which is much more involved than I had previously thought.”

The hybrid nature of the CWU Economics curriculum fit in well with Pawar’s busy schedule, which also required her to maintain a full-time job in order to pay for her education.

“One thing I love about the College of Business is that a lot of the classes are either hybrid or online, so I’ve been taking mainly online classes with one or two in person each quarter,” she said. “That way, I’m able to balance my schooling with the work I need to do to afford it.”

In addition to the affordability and convenience of the program, Pawar has been able to gain hands-on experience directly through the program, as opposed to having to find an outside internship.

“Being able to be hands-on in these research projects and experiments has been really beneficial for me,” she said. “Between school and my full-time job — which pays my bills — I’ve been really happy to have those opportunities for real-world experience.”

As Pawar began making plans to attend grad school, she was glad CWU gave her an opportunity to refine a skillset that would give her application an advantage over the competition. This included serving as Head of Research for the CWU Economics Association, as well as President of the Digital Marketing Club, two positions that have given her unparalleled insight into her field, as well as valuable leadership experience to add to her resume.

“The fact that we’re taught how to code in R Studio is a huge leg up on my competition for master’s programs,” Pawar said. “I’ve already been immersed in the work, and I know I can deliver something other candidates can’t.”

Outside of class, Pawar found Central to be fertile ground for the kind of engaged school spirit she was surrounded by in her hometown, and the vibrant campus culture at CWU enabled her to forge connections with her peers in the exciting settings available both on and off campus.

“We were very big on school spirit at Richland High, so I was glad when I came here that there were similar opportunities,” she said. “From the student section at football games to Central Night at the Mariners games, you’re able to network and connect with people and make friends outside of campus, which is really nice.”

With graduation now behind her, Pawar is currently looking for work in the economics field — and she feels extremely well-prepared thanks to her time at CWU. She knows that getting to this point has been a matter of staying true to herself and trusting the process.