A true-blooded Aggie following in his family’s footsteps — Mitch Lott

Mitch Lott, a Utah State University senior from Lehi, never expected to come to USU, even though his grandparents, parents, sister and cousins are all Aggie alumni.  

He says his time here, however, has been a fantastic experience from the start.  

A large factor in his decision to study at USU was the Huntsman Scholar Program.  

Lott was required to take a foundational economics class as part of the program. Before this, he had never taken an economics class before.  

Since then, he has been a declared major for both physics and biology. He will be graduating from the Huntsman School of Business in economics with a minor in international studies. 

According to Lott, the international studies minor has allowed him to learn about issues regarding economics from a different perspective.  

After graduation, Lott is moving to Washington, D.C. to work as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve in the international finance division.  

“I will help them in their academic research, help with data collection, organizing and cleaning and also working on policy products,” Lott said.  

This means Lott will forecast the economies of other advanced nations and use that information to influence American financial policies.  

Lott considered going to law school after graduating with his bachelor’s, but he found this opportunity with the Federal Reserve after deciding he wanted to pursue a PhD in economics instead.  

According to Lott, many first-year students already know they plan to pursue a PhD in economics. Lott felt as though he were behind when it became his goal as a junior.   

Mentors gave Lott advice to pursue programs that were geared to prepare individuals for higher education. The Federal Reserve research assistant opportunity is one of those programs.   

“In this rare situation, it was essentially a cold application that came through and turned out well,” he said. 

Lott was able to go to Capitol Hill and present his research to the head of the state agency.   

His professors were able to set this opportunity up for Lott so he could share research that was directly correlated with the head of the Department of Natural Resources’ projects.  

“It was so cool to be able to say I was doing something that actually mattered. People put this in place so he could talk to me and we could share ideas,” Lott said. “The work I’m doing isn’t just checking off boxes for a degree. It was impactful.”  

According to Lott, another fantastic experience he had while at USU was his time on the business council. He has been a member since Fall 2020 and has served as president.  

Lott says it was difficult to feel involved and connected to other students and professors while school was online due to coronavirus restrictions.  

When school opened up, he saw it as an opportunity to provide students with something they enjoy.  

He wanted to get to know his fellow students more. He has set up a table with the business council where they offered free sodas and asked people about their experiences with USU. His intention was to better understand what they needed to improve on.  

He took this advice to the dean’s office, so they could be more connected to the school’s administration.  

“The social atmosphere of the Huntsman school and rebuilding it was a big focus we had, and that made it a lot of fun,” Lott said.  

He worked to put on the annual Huntsman gala and had events like Taco Tuesday. Lott said almost 450 people attended to socialize and eat tacos.   

“To be with people is to feel like the school has a soul again,” Lott said. 

People are a driving force in Lott’s life too.  

“I’m definitely motivated by trying to create a difference in the lives of other people because I feel like that’s when your work becomes impactful,” he said.  

Academic anxiety has also pushed him to be as involved and successful in school as he can be. He tends to wonder, “If I don’t take this opportunity now, is it going to be detrimental to me in the future?” 

During his time at USU, he feared he would not have a job or something to work for after school, so he wanted to take every opportunity while he could.  

“I like what I do, and I like to do it well. I hope and try to make a difference for other people,” Lott said. “There is an underlying crippling anxiety that you have to capture every opportunity that comes your way.” 

Despite those fears, Lott said he tries to keep an open mind when planning for his future.  

He said his initial reaction is to try and plan for everything, but he wants to relax that mindset. He doesn’t want to force himself into a career just because it was part of the plan.  

Looking back on his college experience, he would advise his freshman self to have an open mind.   

“I would definitely go back and say — it’s okay. Just go with the flow a little bit. You don’t have to force yourself onto a plan because you just feel like you need something to grasp on to,” Lott said. 

Since being a first-year student, Lott has learned academically and personally. One of the biggest lessons has been to never underestimate his own abilities.  

A few years ago, he considered himself not a good math student. However, throughout his time in college he had to push himself through many math classes that showed he was able to be successful despite his initial doubts.  

“Never doubt yourself on something just because you feel like you’re not that type of person,” Lott said. “If it’s something you want, then do it. If you work hard and are invested, it will work out for you.”  

-Andie.Allen@usu.edu

Featured photo by Elise Gottling