Undergraduate students Patrick Baker, D.J. Bergo, and Joseph Vlach are part of a new student fellows program in the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance, which provides real-world experience, networking and career exploration for a new generation of international trade professionals.
The three are among students from four colleges and 13 majors who joined the Yeutter Student Fellows program in a pilot cohort last fall. The students are from various academic disciplines related to economics, law, policy, business and agriculture, and, as part of the cohort, they dissect international trade issues and gain new perspectives.
Each student was tasked with producing a trade briefing paper on a certain topic—something they might be asked to do in a future career. The institute helped students connect with experts in each topic area.
Joseph Vlach, a junior economics and global studies major, said his involvement in the cohort has helped unravel some of the misconceptions about international trade.
“Nothing is really as one-sided as it seems,” he said. “The more I learn, I find there is more to the story — it is much more complicated than you might see on TV or read about in short articles and paragraphs.”
Vlach’s briefing paper is focused on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership — a trade deal that evolved from the United States withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017 — and U.S. competitiveness in the Asia-Pacific region. Vlach was connected with a former U.S. trade negotiator who was closely involved with negotiating the TPP.
“It’s surprising, there’s a long list of things to learn and change your thinking of and to have a different viewpoint,” Vlach said. “My biggest takeaway is a change of mindset to always look for opportunities and to try things out.”
Baker, majoring in political science and global studies, wrote "What Future Does Trade Promotion Authority Have in a Biden Administration?" Bergo, a global studies major, wrote "How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic's Economic Fallout Impacted Food Security in Low-Income Countries?"
During the spring semester, the student fellows will work on team projects that explore new ways to build connections between citizens and federal trade policymakers.
“I wanted to offer something that could give students a margin of excellence in preparation for careers in the area of international trade,” said Jill O’Donnell, director of the Yeutter Institute. “The world needs students who are focusing in different areas, have an interest in trade and subsequently go to work in the field, broadly defined. There are many different international trade career paths in the public and private sector.”
