ALMA MATTERS
EXTRAORDINARY ALUM Xiaoling Ang BS ’05, MS ’05, PhD • Economist, US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Xiaoling Ang (BS ’05, MS ’05), PhD, spoke at Loyola about student loans in October.
Xiaoling Ang (BS ’05, MS ’05), PhD, works as an econo- mist in Washington, DC.
Why economics? • In high school I was interested in public policy, and I was really interested in math, but I didn’t know how they could come together. Then, my junior year, I took an economics class.
Number cruncher • Before my freshman year, Professor (David) Mirza gave me great advice—he said that top economics programs recruit heavily on math ability. Any- one who wants to be an economist working in public policy should
major or minor in math. That’s what I ended up doing at Loyola, although I took classes in economics as well.
The day-to-day • It’s all over the place. I read a lot of research articles and white papers; I do data analysis. If a policy is implemented I may use theory to figure out what possible outcomes are, using supporting evidence from similar policies. I quantify the results of actions. I dedicate time to work on
independent research. I’m never short on questions, and I’m never short on data. A lot of my research has focused on student loans, mortgages, and disclosures. I’ve taught classes as an applied microeconomist.
Unlike the rest of us • I use calculus and statistics every single day.
Solid foundation • Really, what I do is a lot of writing and analysis as well as working in interdisciplinary teams where everyone’s an expert. Loyola’s Jesuit education has helped a lot in my role—it prepared me to speak to people with different worldviews and vocabularies.
Off the clock • I’m fairly involved in yoga, I hang out with friends and family, and I entertain at home a lot. This is probably overanalyzing it, but entertaining at home is a relic of dinners I had with friends at Loyola.
Back in the fold • When I came back to campus [to speak on students loans], I didn’t realize it would be such a big deal. What I really liked is a lot of students came up afterwards and asked questions. I couldn’t believe how warm the reception was.
36 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
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