WeSB

Who Are We?

WeSB stands for We are Economics at Santa Barbara. The "We" in WeSB welcomes people of all backgrounds and identities, especially those who have been historically underrepresented, underserved, and marginalized in economics. This includes, for example, women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), the LGBTQIA+ community, religious minorities, and first-generation college students, among others. We aim to create an inclusive and welcoming space where UC Santa Barbara economics graduate students can thrive in the PhD program and their future professional lives.

What is our purpose?

• Create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all PhD students, including those from underrepresented, underserved, and marginalized groups.
• Encourage and welcome the participation of allies.
• Build a strong community and inclusive departmental culture.
• Highlight role models in economics and showcase their work.
• Share resources and demystify the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school and the profession to empower students from all backgrounds to thrive during the Ph.D. and in their future careers.
• Promote awareness of bias, discrimination, and best practices in supporting graduate and undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups.
• Increase awareness of the challenges faced by women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+, religious minorities, and other underrepresented groups in economics.
• Create a safe and supportive space for students to share experiences, seek advice from peers, and learn about confidential university resources.
• Foster connections and informal mentorship within the department and with UCSB Economics alumni.
• Offer advice, support, and information about opportunities within the economics community.

WeSB Events

WeSB organizes events that foster community and open dialogue around diversity, inclusion, and professional growth in economics.

Current Events

• “Overcoming Challenges in Economics: Series: Informal interviews with visiting researchers and faculty members in the department who share their experiences navigating the economics profession. Topics include building a career in academia, strategies to navigate research during the Ph.D., and overcoming challenges faced by underrepresented and marginalized groups in the field.
• Alumni Perspectives Series: Conversations with graduates of our Ph.D. program who share their experiences at each stage (navigating coursework, developing research ideas, selecting committees, and preparing for academic or industry paths). This series provides an opportunity to engage with members of our alumni community, who currently work in a range of professional settings. (Forthcoming)

Past Events

• Women in Economics Coffee Connection: Female graduate students, faculty members, and visiting scholars were randomly paired for one-on-one coffee meetings. These informal conversations created a space to connect over research, life, hobbies, or any topics participants felt comfortable discussing.
• WeSB Breakfast Hour: At least once per quarter, WeSB hosted a breakfast hour with coffee and bagels, open to all Economics graduate students and faculty. To foster our group’s mission and purpose, each event featured a fact or statistic related to diversity and representation in economics, serving as a starting point for informal discussion. The link to facts from previous breakfast hours can be found here.