#PolicyProfile: “At 19, I received a scholarship to live and study abroad for the first time in Baku, Azerbaijan. The experience reshaped my understanding of cross-cultural exchange and sparked my interest in economic development, especially as I observed stark regional inequalities outside the capital. After graduating from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities during the pandemic, I began my career in public service as a contact tracer for my county. I went on to teach English at a university in Türkiye and later worked in international financial services before transitioning to economic policy. At the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of International Affairs, I focused on macroeconomic policy and worked closely with counterparts across Europe on issues ranging from IMF programs to G7 coordination, including support for Ukraine and responses to industrial overcapacity. It was both gratifying and humbling to see my analysis and writing shape real policy decisions and appear ...