Ariel Singerman is one of several graduate students who will soon complete their course of studies in the Department of Economics. Learn what he has planned after his exit in August.

What degree did you complete? I completed a Ph.D. in Economics with emphasis in Agricultural Economics. In my dissertation I applied econometric and numerical methods to analyze key elements for the insurance of organic crops, namely, prices, yields and revenue; in an effort to contribute to the design of an organic crop insurance policy under which organic producers would receive coverage according to their idiosyncratic risks rather than based on their conventional counterparts.

I defended my dissertation last week, but the official date for graduation during the summer is August.

What are your plans after you leave ISU? I got a job in a company located in the San Francisco Bay area that specializes in the domestic rice market. It offers purchasing, market analysis, and consulting services to its clients.

What's exciting or interesting to you about this next step in your career? This opportunity is exciting because it will give me the chance to apply the knowledge and training I acquired in school to the everyday dynamics of the rice market.

What was one of the most valuable things you learned from the Department of Economics at ISU? Perhaps the most valuable thing I learned during grad school is that perseverance is a virtue whose importance cannot be overstated. It is what will take you to the end when everything else seems to fail.