Economics Spotlighted Student: Jason Borsari '25

Jason Borsari '25 had numerous people from varying backgrounds tell him about Haverford College.  The principal at his high school in Brewster, NY, is from the suburbs of Philadelphia and highly praised Haverford.  Jason's mother and father, both teachers, taught and sent students to Haverford College.  The Haverford men's lacrosse team also recruited Jason, and he was excited to participate in a campus visit. The size of the student body and the campus atmosphere felt like a good fit, and the best part was meeting and sporting around with the lacrosse team!

During his junior year of high school, Jason took an economics class through Syracuse University, which sparked his interest in the discipline. At Haverford, he especially enjoyed Professor Richard Ball's Statistical Methods in Economics course and Professor Michael Levere's Inequality and Public Policy class. Both of these classes validated his decision to major in economics.

The summer following his sophomore year, Jason interned at GridTek Utility Services as a private equity analyst. He evaluated financial opportunities, modeling and analyzing data sources. He also participated in on-site visits to portfolio companies to identify cost inefficiencies.

This past summer Jason served as an investment banking analyst for R.W. Baird, a Milwaukee headquartered financial services firm.  In their Industrials and Technology & Services sector he performed analysis and transaction support, financial modeling, and he assisted with day-to-day operations.  This internship has evolved into a post-graduation position.  Congratulations Jason!

For his thesis, Jason is "assessing the employment effects of minimum wage increases in the leisure and hospitality industry from 2010-2018 on New Jersey and Pennsylvania border counties. Minimum wage increases are often implemented to improve worker earnings. Still, their effects on employment remain a subject of debate, particularly in industries with high concentrations of low-wage workers like leisure and hospitality. Using county-level employment data, [he is] examining whether minimum wage changes in New Jersey, compared to Pennsylvania where the wage remained lower, influenced employment levels in this industry, specifically in geographically adjacent border counties where economic conditions are otherwise similar."

In addition to playing defense on the lacrosse team, Jason is Co-head of the Haverford Business Initiative.  The club mentors students interested in honing their interviewing and presentation skills and provides guidance to those interested in business and finance careers.  Jason is also a member of Haverford's One Love Club, whose initiative focuses on educating young people about healthy, non-violent relationships.