Ishita is committed to using economics not just to study inequality, but to dismantle it. 

Ishita Desai is pursuing a bachelor of science in economics and computation at UM-Dearborn, a STEM degree that combines data science, programming, and quantitative economics. Motivated by her childhood in India where she experienced economic injustice firsthand, Ishita is committed to using economics not just to study inequality, but to dismantle it.

In addition to her studies, Ishita serves as Vice President of the Association for Women in Mathematics. In this role, she coordinates mentorship programs, hosts speaker events, and collaborates with faculty and peers to build inclusive and empowering communities in math and computational fields. She is also an active member of Girls Who Code–Dearborn, where she facilitates workshops and outreach programs that encourage young women to pursue computer science. Alongside Ishita’s academic work and leadership roles, she balances full-time employment in sales and marketing at a women’s empowerment organization, household responsibilities, ongoing research, and professional growth through a Google Career Certificate in Advanced Data Analytics. She is proud of sustaining her commitment to both her goals and the causes she cares about.

Ishita’s research and projects bridge analysis and impact. One of her current projects focuses on improving access to Mumbai’s complex train system, developing a tool that helps low-income commuters save time, money, and missed opportunities when traveling to schools, jobs, and essential services. She is also exploring how Subjective Wellbeing can serve as a more human-centered measure of progress than GDP, reframing development around safety, dignity, and hope.

After graduation, Ishita envisions a career in public policy, leveraging data-driven models to advise on education access, employment structures, and inflation policy, while eventually launching an initiative to expand mentorship and higher education pathways for low-income students across rural India. For her, success means transforming hardship into strategy, empathy into impact, and data into systems that build with people—not just for them.

CEW+ applauds Ishita’s perseverance and commitment to economic justice and names her an Irma M. Wyman Scholar.