Preparing for a globe-trotting future

Economics and political science is what she is studying now in Iowa City, but Leila Assadi is always thinking a few more steps ahead. The junior from Bettendorf has her sights set on both a Fullbright Scholarship and – hopefully – law school at the prestigious University of Chicago.

Although her future may lie in international law, she says the foundational education she is getting as an economics major at Tippie is opening her up to all sorts of possibilities.

“I actually applied to the University of Iowa intending to study political science and journalism,” Assadi said. “But I was able to be a direct admit to Tippie and I’ve always been interested in economics. So I went that route.”

One of Assadi’s favorite things to do is look up Tippie faculty bio pages and seeing what research is underway.

Tippie expertise leads the way

Assadi is particularly interested in microeconomics and behavioral economics, including how individuals determine how they spend their money. She has enjoyed learning about behavioral economics from Alexandra Nica, an associate professor in economics. 

“Learning from her expertise has been very helpful,” she said. “Behavioral economics looks at how people make decisions and are influenced by their environments, and emotions. I am interested in writing an Honors Thesis about the relationship between religion and economics, potentially GDP per capita. Understanding how religion influences people's decision making will help me in identifying any trends as they relate to economic growth."

She has also thankful for the advice she’s received from her admissions advisor, Patrick Rossman.

“He’s helped me figure out the bigger picture of what I want to do with my economics degree,” she said. 

The longer-term goal is to get more international experience.

This past summer, she attended a 10-day conference in China called the “Bond with Kuliang China U.S. Festival.” It is billed as the largest and most diversified youth exchange activity since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States.

“I was a little surprised because I didn’t think they’d dive into the growing tensions between the U.S. and China, but they did, and we talked about the importance of building connections between the younger people of both countries.”

Taking a global view

In the spring 2025 semester, Assadi will be studying abroad in South Korea. She has been self-learning the language in preparation.

“I’m a little nervous,” she said. “I do have some travel experience under my belt, but this program only accepts one student from Iowa per semester, so that will force me to meet a ton of new people when I get there.”

When she returns to the United States, she wants to combine all she has learned – from Tippie, as an exchange student and about economics – and apply it to a career in international business law.