Laura Ildefonso

Describe your dissertation, thesis, or capstone (if you completed one):

For my capstone project, I investigated how employees react to different kinds of incentives, called "gift-exchange" in academic terms. My capstone presentation was on prior field experiments on gift-exchange, and I replicated the statistical analysis from a prior field experiment on gift-exchange for my capstone paper. Somewhat surprisingly, these field experiments showed that employees do not increase productivity in response to monetary gifts (like a fixed pay increase), but they did increase productivity in response to gifts-in-kind (a perk given by the employer like a branded water bottle).

How did you choose your specific area of study?

I was an economics student during undergrad, and I've been working in economic consulting for 10 years. Completing my master's degree in economics will help me to keep moving forward in my current career.

How did your academic experiences in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences impact you?

The Economics program at CHSS helped me to rebuild confidence in my hard economics skills. I had not flexed my calculus muscles in quite a long time, even as a professional economist, and getting back to the rigorous academic core of the field has increased my confidence as an economist. I've also learned that I can do hard things, like completing a master's degree while working full-time!

Of which accomplishment(s) during your time at Mason are you most proud?

I am most proud of maintaining a 4.0 while working full-time. Balancing a graduate program, work and personal responsibilities was challenging, and I am proud that I was able to rise to the occasion and excel in my program.

Are there faculty or staff members who made a difference during your Mason career?

Valerie Sasser provided excellent guidance to me throughout the MA program. As an online student, I feared that I would be just a faceless number, but whenever I reached out to Valerie she made me feel like a valued part of the Mason community.

What advice would you give to an incoming cohort of graduate students?

Reach out to your fellow classmates! One of the best parts of my Mason experience was connecting with other students via our Discord chat. Don't wait until you have a group project to make connections with your classmates. My cohort started a group chat during our first course that continued throughout the program, even when we had all gone to different electives.

What are your current career plans following graduation? What are your long-term career goals?

After graduation, I plan to continue working at my current firm Berkeley Research Group doing antitrust economics. Long-term, I hope to use my economics skills to positively impact the world, ideally at a wildlife conservation non-profit.