Some of my most fun and rewarding experiences as a graduate student have come from working with students, both as an instructor and a teaching assistant. I pride myself on creating a community where students feel welcome to ask questions, engage with the material, and learn from one another. My goal is not only to teach economics, but also to help students see themselves as economists.
Read my teaching statement here.
This course is an introduction to game theory. The course syllabus can be found here.
What students have said about the course:
"Leah really wanted students to succeed in her class and constantly went out of her way to help students."
"Leah is a nice and patient instructor. She's always willing to help and welcome you to ask questions. I have had a great learning experience with the professor."
This course covers topics in consumer theory, producer theory, and competition without requiring calculus as a prerequisite. The 6-week format creates an additional challenge for students in an already difficult class.
What students have said about the course:
"I really learned a lot in this course, and I feel that Leah is an excellent teacher. She explains concepts clearly and effectively, which made the material much easier to understand."
" I personally found the instructor very kind and she encouraged lots of questions. She allowed us to interact with our peers as well which I enjoyed."
In Spring 2024, I served as the teaching assistant for the first-year PhD Microeconomics sequence. I led weekly TA sessions where I covered complementary material to the course material, reviewed concepts from the course, and discussed more challenging homework and exam problems. To encourage more participation and encourage speaking skills, I also implemented optional student presentations for past homework problems, which were very well received by students. In addition to weekly TA sessions, I held weekly office hours, further building connections with students that continue to this day through discussions of research ideas and the difficulties of navigating graduate school in economics.
Throughout my time at Penn State, I have been the TA for numerous classes. As such, some of my duties included holding (often well-attended) office hours, running review sessions, providing feedback on course materials, and managing undergraduate graders. The full list of courses for which I was a TA are:
Decision Making and Strategy in Economics (Game Theory) - Fall 2023, Fall 2024, and Fall 2025
Economics of Uncertainty - Fall 2022 and Spring 2023
Labor Economics (World Campus) - Spring 2022
Health Economics - Fall 2021