“It’s no surprise that I and my siblings all gravitated toward academia. My parents were both deeply committed to education and lived frugally so we could go to college without acquiring debt. In the early ’80s, I was a @harvard undergraduate at a time when America was in a recession. As unemployment spiked, I saw the damaging effects of the economic downturn, and my heart went out to those who had lost their jobs. I realized then that economics could be a useful framework to think about and break down important social issues. After getting a bachelor’s degree in economics, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. In my family, it wasn’t a question of whether one was going graduate school, but rather which type of graduate degree. I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in economics and returned to Harvard to do so. My first job out of graduate school was as an assistant professor here at Princeton. I was also interested in having real-world policy experience and was fortunate to have the opportunity to serve as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton at the National Economic Council in 1998 and later as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) for the Obama administration (2009-2011). During my time at the CEA, America was in the midst of the biggest recession since the Great Depression. It was scary, but I was thrilled to have a hand in helping to develop policy to help those most affected by the crisis. ... While there have been challenges being a Black woman in a field dominated by white men, I have been fortunate to find mentors and friends in my field, especially here at @princetonspia. Right now, America is reckoning with the fact that we have not fully embraced and understood the ways in which #racism continues to exist. Change is not going to happen overnight, but I am hopeful that we can mobilize this moment to take another step forward as we work towards a truly just society. I hope students leave our School with the tools and ideas to make the world a better place.” — Cecilia Rouse, Dean of @princetonspia. **** #Princetagram #PolicyProfile is an @Instagram series featuring our community. Want to be featured? Comment or DM us.