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Perry Mindo '16

Perry Mindo

SOAR SPOTLIGHT: AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND INEQUALITY

Name: Perry Mindo
Major/Minor: Economics
Hometown: Branchville, NJ
Project Adviser: Dr. Sabrina Terrizzi
Expected date of graduation: May 2016
Project title: The Potential of a Financial Crisis: The Effect of the ACA on Income Inequality

Briefly describe your project.

I set out to research the effect that the Affordable Care Act has had on inequality. I gathered data on various topics, including people from different age groups, religious affiliations, genders, geographic locations etc. I familiarized myself with the goals of the Affordable Care Act, and set out to measure its current effect on income inequality in the US. It is currently a work in progress, as I plan to take it a step further and evaluate the effect more intuitively for my honors thesis my senior year.

Describe the origin of your project. (E.g., did you pitch the idea and choose a faculty member, or did they come to you with an idea?)

I chose the idea, and pitched it to my advisor, throughout the summer the concept had changed various times, which was also quite a meaningful experience.

What’s the best part about working with your faculty mentor? What valuable insights have they brought to your project?

Dr. Terrizzi has been a huge help this summer and I think the most valuable thing I have learned from her, is that when conducting a research project things do not always go as planned. You have to be able to keep an open mind, and adapt to your findings. My project scope has taken quite a few turns in different directions over the summer and I believe it is for the best.

What has been your biggest obstacle so far?

Working remotely, and being able to communicate in various ways with my advisor was a challenge, but a good learning experience as well.

What has been your biggest takeaway from this experience?

During this summer, SOAR has presented me with the necessary research skills and data that I feel will benefit me later down the road in both my educational and professional career.

What was the result of your project? Was it congruent with your hypothesis?

My project is still a work in progress, although my expectations have now changed. I believe now that the Affordable Care Act has had a more positive effect on income inequality in America than I had originally believed based on my current findings.

Do you think you’ll be able to extend on your research after this summer is over? If so, where would you like to see it go?

Yes, I plan on finishing my research in the upcoming academic year, and using it as a pilot for my honors project.