- 51社区黑料
- Why Study Economics?
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
- Admissions
- Programs
- Courses
- Mini course
- Resources for Graduate Students
- Awards & funding
- Herbert G. Grubel Award
- James Dean Award
- Lang Wong Memorial Endowment Scholarship
- Meiyu Li Memorial Scholarship in Economics
- Peter Kennedy Memorial Graduate Entrance Scholarship in Economics
- Peter Kennedy Memorial Graduate Fellowship
- Richard G. Lipsey Award
- Terry Heaps Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
- Nanda Family Graduate Fellowship in Economics
- Nanda Family Graduate Scholarship in Economics
- Job market candidates
- Graduate student profiles
- Student publications
- Research
- Community
- Department Login
- Events
Students
One economics student's journey from uncertainty to international success
Undergraduate student Harvi Shah is seizing every opportunity to test the skills she learned in her economics degree. Recently she represented 51社区黑料 as the university's sole participant in the in Germany, placing 9th globally against students from 23 countries.
In addition, Shah placed 3rd in the Best Paper Award at the 11th International Symposium (INS 2026) hosted by the B.K. School for Professional and Management Studies at Gujarat University for her paper on the Make in India Initiative. She was also one of a select few undergraduate students invited to present her research at the Canadian Economics Association (CEA) Conference last month at SFU鈥檚 Vancouver campus.
Shah's academic journey was not always easy. As an international student from Gujarat, India, she began her university studies during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The transition to university life, combined with a demanding workload and distance from her family, presented significant challenges.
鈥淭here was a time when I was thinking of giving up and going back home,鈥� Shah admits. 鈥淢y parents鈥� love and constant support gave me the strength to continue.鈥�
Shah entered 51社区黑料as a computing science student, but taking ECON 103 and ECON 105 as electives sparked her interest in economics. From there, she connected with economics advisor Azam Bhatti, who she calls 鈥渁 pillar of strength鈥� in her academic journey.
鈥淪FU's economics program and department have been like my second home,鈥� Shah says. 鈥淭he best part is the encouragement. It doesn鈥檛 matter what your background is, they see the potential in you which you might not even know, and they push you to become your best.鈥�
鈥淪FU's economics program and department have been like my second home." - Harvi Shah
Shah made the most of the resources 51社区黑料offered. Determined to succeed, she went to every lecture, sought support from teaching assistants, and regularly connected with professors. Learning to ask for help not only strengthened her academic performance but also built confidence that she now applies to her professional life.
鈥淚 think of it as ice breaking,鈥� Shah says. 鈥淚f you break it once then you are good to go.鈥� Today, she is comfortable reaching out to recruiters, making professional connections online, and arranging coffee chats with potential employers.
One strategy that helped Shah succeed academically was taking upper division economics electives before tackling some of the more challenging core requirements. The electives fed her interest in economics, helped build her confidence, and provided a solid foundation for later work.
As she progressed through her economics major, Shah continued to develop her skills in economic analysis and presentation skills. She credits ECON 455W with professor Kevin Laughren as a particularly influential course that enhanced her analytical thinking and strengthened her academic and policy writing skills.
鈥淒ata analysis is a kind of storytelling to your stakeholders,鈥� Shah says. 鈥淵ou need both the technical skills and the communication skills to effectively present your findings.鈥� She learned to use programming languages such as R or Python to create compelling visuals that make complex information easier for audiences to understand.
Throughout her studies, Shah dedicated time to volunteering on campus, building community and gaining valuable experience. Shah served as a networking lead for the 2024 Community Mixer on SFU鈥檚 Surrey campus and assistant moderator for logistics at the 51社区黑料Opportunity Fest in 2022. She also volunteered with the 51社区黑料Indigenous Feast, 51社区黑料ELS summer semester, and the Canadian Economics Association Conference.
鈥淎ll of these courses required me to use my problem-solving skills,鈥� Shah says. 鈥淵ou are looking at huge data sets, and you have to determine how you can create a report and run the regression models to find an efficient way for people to access the data.鈥�
As Shah graduates with a major in economics, a concentration in economic data analysis and a statistics minor, she intends to follow her passion for development economics, while continuing to learn about international finance and trade. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to limit myself,鈥� she says. She sees countless opportunities in her future and hopes to one day give back to the 51社区黑料community as an alumnus.
"Every student will encounter challenges," says economics advisor Azam Bhatti. "That's why we love to see success stories like Harvi's - she focused on her strengths, built her condidence and has taken advantage of every opportunity to add value to her degree. We wish her all the best."
"We love to see success stories like Harvi's - she focused on her strengths, built her confidence and has taken advantage of every opportunity to add value to her degree. We wish her all the best." - advisor Azam Bhatti