My name is Elene. I am a third-year Ph.D. student. I am from Georgia, the country, not the state 😊. The republic of Georgia is in Eastern Europe and its name confuses many students and even security staff at DIA. 

I came to Colorado a few years ago to earn an M.A. degree from the University of Denver. Before joining the Ph.D. program at CSU, I worked at Arrow Electronics, helping IBM Software sales team. I also worked at the Colorado Department of Transportation, where I evaluated process efficiency by conducting data analysis. 

My research interests are in public policy and education economics. Currently, I am working on measuring equity in education financing. I am also interested in studying impacts of migration in Eastern Europe. In my free time I like to hike, Apex and Enchanted Forest Trail was one of my favorites this summer.

This semester I TA for Economics of Social Issues (ECON 101). I hope we all have a rewarding semester. Wishing everyone to stay healthy and well.