Nicholas Zeek, an economics major, has found some unique ways to apply his economics education to his personal interests and his future career.
杏吧专区淚n the past year I杏吧专区檝e made big moves and set the direction of what I want to do,杏吧专区 he explained. 杏吧专区淚 want to be a healer. When I was little, I wanted to be a chiropractor, a philosopher, and a massage therapist. And it杏吧专区檚 crazy how the eastern therapies incorporate all of those things.
杏吧专区淓conomics is a totally different discipline,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 love that I杏吧专区檓 learning something that is going to be so useful. It杏吧专区檚 one of the most versatile business degrees because it teaches you how the business world works. I杏吧专区檓 going to have an understanding of the economics of health care systems and how to run a business, and that杏吧专区檚 really important for any scope of practice in any field.
杏吧专区淲hen most people want to go into business, they go into management,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淏ut I think economics is the move. It杏吧专区檚 so versatile, and it杏吧专区檚 the broadest business degree, in my opinion.杏吧专区
His appreciation for economics goes beyond strictly thinking about his future business. Nicholas uses what he杏吧专区檚 learning in classes to improve the skills he uses on a daily basis.
杏吧专区淭he other thing I appreciate is that economics one of the best degrees to get to really dive into critical thinking and dive into problem-solving,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淓conomics really teaches you how to work through labeling a problem, coming up with a solution, thinking of any extraneous variables, and anything that has an impact on the situation."
Applying His Research to Future Endeavors
The topic Nicholas chose for one of his research projects aligns with his future career.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 basing my topic off of some lessons of eastern wellness that I learned a few weeks ago at a retreat with an acupuncturist in Lafayette,杏吧专区 he explained.
杏吧专区淭he four principles of wellness according to Bob Flaws, a well-renowned writer, are: diet, exercise, rest and relaxation, and good mental attitude,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淪o, I杏吧专区檓 asking: does practicing these four principles within a society lower the amount of disease?
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檒l be comparing across countries,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 designing variables to see if they fit within five categories 杏吧专区 the four, plus the fifth category of 杏吧专区榦ther.杏吧专区 In my model, disease is going to be measured by the aggregate of all mental and physical diseases."
The research Nicholas has already done and his enthusiasm for economic theory has sparked some follow-up ideas.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 cool to see economic theories applied to anything,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淏ecause of this, I杏吧专区檝e thought of a few other cool ideas, like whether practicing traditional martial arts has a relationship on violent crime rates.
杏吧专区淢artial arts in history was a way to keep energy flowing in the body,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淎nd all the diseases in the east are attributed to blocked energy. Presumably, practicing martial arts would lower your rate of disease.
杏吧专区淭hat杏吧专区檚 the cool thing about economics 杏吧专区 you can use it anywhere,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淓conomics is not just business, it杏吧专区檚 a way of thinking.杏吧专区
Using His Education in Club Leadership
Nicholas takes pride in being a leader in two clubs on campus. He's president of the and the , where he learned to apply some of the topics he learned in class.
杏吧专区淥ne of my management professors helped me realize the importance of setting up a vision-mission for a club 杏吧专区 setting up a direction for a club as a primary organizational skill,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淔or anything, you go back to the vision and say, 杏吧专区業s this in line with our vision?杏吧专区 and it keeps unnecessary clutter out of the picture.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 figuring out the ins and outs of designing jobs,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淔or the Jiu Jitsu Club, I have this task force of officers: our shogun (VP), our baron (treasurer), and our thane (VP of membership) 杏吧专区 feudal terms from Japan, Europe, and Scandinavia. I have these people and I need these things done, so what tasks are appropriate to assign to which people?杏吧专区
As part of his leadership with the Ragin杏吧专区 Cajun Jiu Jitsu Club, he makes it a point to communicate the club杏吧专区檚 mission to 杏吧专区渃reate a safe and inclusive environment for all students and all skills to use jiu jitsu as an expressive art form and self-defense, live the virtues of perseverance, respect discipline and benevolence.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淲e offer a platform to practice those techniques on a regular basis,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淲hat I really like about the club is we offer a platform for anyone of any skill level to come in and learn these self-defense techniques so it becomes muscle memory and you can execute it every time.
"It杏吧专区檚 also a great stress reducer. I think, as students, we spend lots of time worrying about schoolwork and jiu jitsu offers a way to physically work through ways of problem-solving.杏吧专区
