When Fernanda Dominguez began exploring universities, she admits McMaster wasn’t at the top of the list. The economics student hadn’t yet set foot on campus, even though it was close to home. That changed during Welcome Week.
“That first week, I had no clue what I was stepping into, but something about it felt right,” Dominguez said.
Now she’s preparing to cross the stage at convocation before embarking on a Master’s in Economics.
In her first year in Social Sciences, Dominguez explored several programs. She considered political science, and briefly switched into business, where she took her first micro- and macroeconomics courses. With no background in economics, she found them challenging.
“I had no econ experience, they were the most difficult classes I took, but I was intrigued.”
Economics offered the business foundation she was originally interested in, but it also opened a window into the world around her. She saw how economic thinking could illuminate social issues and everyday life.
Over time, Dominguez discovered how economics could shape the lives of children and communities. She became interested in research that examines how events like school shootings affect neighbourhoods, and how communities rebuild.
“Children are the future, and if we can invest our time and productivity, we’re going to have a better society at the end of the day,” Dominguez said.
But she also had some reservations: “The root of econ is math … and I hated math,” she said. “It was genuinely the hardest thing for me.”
But she quickly learned that studying economics isn’t about being a math expert. It’s about building the skills as you go, with support.
The program teaches students the tools they need, from the ground up. To strengthen her understanding of mathematics, Dominguez studied with friends outside the program, teaching them the concepts as she learned them herself. Once everyone understood, they moved on together.
Passing those early courses was the moment she realized: “I do understand economics.”
Today, Dominguez graduates from the Economics Specialist Option. In September, she will begin her MA in Financial Economics at the University of Guelph, a path she once never imagined for herself.
“I didn’t even know I wanted to go for my master’s,” she said. “I kept it a secret because I was worried about not getting in. I didn’t tell my parents or my friends.”
She remembers the nerves clearly, but also the support she received from professors like Angela Zhang, and how that support opened the door to graduate studies.
Dominguez hopes to continue researching children’s outcomes through an economic lens, and she feels ready for whatever comes next.
“When I found econ, it was genuinely the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “But no matter how many times I did badly on a test, I persevered. I kept going. I knew this was exactly where I wanted to be.”