Lia Chabot ’21 arrived at Syracuse University with a passion for economics, and she’ll graduate with a wealth of experiences that reflect her academic prowess, compassion and commitment to activism.

Whether she’s talking monetary policy, crunching data on rental properties, advocating for sexual safety or sharing her love for London, Chabot brings a refreshing perspective to all she does. In the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, she brought her interests together by combining majors in economics and citizenship and civic engagement with a minor in environment and society.

“I found this intersection of my three interests that created a solid niche for me in terms of my learning and hopefully what career future I have,” says Chabot, a Coronat Scholar, member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program and 2021 Student Marshal.

As a high school student in Saratoga Springs, New York, Chabot locked in on economics, crediting one of her teachers for inspiring her interest. “Economics has always clicked for me,” she says. At the Maxwell School, she built upon her knowledge and skills, and enjoyed getting to know her professors and learning about their research. In addition, Chabot cites the Citizenship and Civic Engagement Program for laying the groundwork for two valuable experiences—an internship with the City of Syracuse Department of Neighborhood and Business Development, and a research associate position with the Maxwell X Lab, a Syracuse University-based initiative that uses behavioral science techniques to help the nonprofit and government sectors improve their programs. “Citizenship and civic engagement allowed me to explore my interests in terms of incorporating the environment and also advocacy into a nice little major that I didn’t know about when I applied to Syracuse University,” she says. “And those experiences have really contributed to my career goals and my growing competence and confidence in a professional setting.”