Sara Maldonado is a senior in The University of Texas at Tyler’s Honors College, majoring in economics with minors in mathematics and political science. She has served as the Honors Student Government vice president and conducted research at the Hibbs Institute for Business and Economic Research, where she worked on regional economic development, financial literacy, and labor trends. Maldonado has also explored the intersections of behavioral economics, gender, and incarceration through independent projects, including an empirical analysis of prison labor wages and incarceration rates. Her academic interests are driven by a commitment to understanding inequality, using economic tools to promote justice-oriented policy solutions, and building bridges between data and community needs. She has presented her work at honors conferences across the country. After graduation, Maldonado plans to pursue a doctoral degree in economics and aims to become a professor engaged in research, teaching, and policy work.