Scholarships at MIT: Sarah Aaronson ’23

(Sarah Aaronson ’23)
Course 14-2 Mathematical Economics

A member of MIT’s sailing team, Sarah Aaronson ’23 says she’s awed by the power of the wind that speeds boats on the Charles River. “It’s quite incredible to be harnessing a natural element to move as fast as we do,” she says.

Off the river, the mathematical economics major from Ashland, Oregon, likewise moves at full sail as president of Burton-Conner House and an active member of MIT Hillel and Alpha Chi Omega.

Aaronson is busy studying too, hoping to pursue a research career in economics and public finance. For an undergraduate research project with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, she investigated the impact of infrastructure investments on business growth in Indonesia and found the work inspiring. “Economics speaks to the basic resources people need to survive and thrive,” she says. “The work I hope to do can make tangible improvements in people’s lives.”

The Elliot K. Wolk Scholarship has been the wind beneath her sails. Aaronson says, “I simply would not have been able to attend MIT without it.”

Meet more MIT scholarship recipients.

Mark Sullivan

This article was originally published in August 2021.