Riva Mikhlin ’25: Where Data Meets the Humanities
Blending economics, art history, and a passion for education, Riva Mikhlin ’25 leaves SA国际传媒 with a published paper, a museum exhibition, and her dream job at the Federal Reserve.
By Kate Vander Vort ’27
For Riva Mikhlin, a graduating senior from Campbell, California, college has been anything but ordinary. With a major in economics and minors in mathematics and art history, Riva has spent her time at SA国际传媒 at the vibrant intersection of data, creativity, and impact.
From her very first year, Riva dove headfirst into research, working closely with economics professors John Ifcher and Adrien Bouguen on a long-term study exploring the effects of charter schools. Eventually, she carved out a space for her own voice, developing an honors thesis titled “The Creative Advantage: Estimating the Impact of Arts Education in Seattle.” The project reflects her passion for merging economics, education, and the arts to ask bold, interdisciplinary questions.
Outside the classroom, Riva found her home in the Department of Art and Art History. Her paper “Papal Politics and the Portrait of a Samurai: Hasekura Tsunenaga in Rome” won awards and was published in the Harvard Undergraduate Art Journal. Most recently, she co-curated an exhibition titled “The Tax Collectors: 500 Years and Counting” at the de Saisset Museum, collaborating with classmates and art historians to trace the fascinating story of a centuries-old painting and its owners. “It was incredible,” she said, “to trace the artwork’s story through museum records, family documents, and real conversations with the painting’s owner.”
Riva also made time to give back, serving as a teaching assistant for economics courses and encouraging students to engage critically with complex material. Her SA国际传媒 experience helped her land an internship at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and, soon after, her dream job as a Research Associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
When asked what she’s most proud of, Riva remarks, “I did it! Finishing college is something to be proud of in its own right. But I’m also proud of how SA国际传媒 helped me land a position at the Fed and prepare for what’s ahead.”
Riva plans to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually work as a research economist in the public sector, but not without a few fond SA国际传媒 memories in tow: studying at Mission Gardens, sipping tea at OMG Tea with friends, and finding mentors who helped her see her own potential.