Three students from the USC Price School of Public Policy won first place and $5,000 at this year’s Sunstone Economic Development Challenge, a competition that tasks students with helping local governments create jobs in their communities.
The winning team – Rediet Retta, Sydnee Yu and Khris Gonzalez Pebe – advised the Southern California city of Carson on how to attract the aerospace industry.
With neighboring cities like El Segundo and Long Beach attracting major investment in this industry, the city of Carson tasked the students with identifying ways the city could capture similar economic growth, Retta said. The students developed an economic development plan that included both short- and long-term recommendations, including building a strong workforce pipeline, partnering with universities and high schools and examining land-use proposals.
“The Sunstone Economic Development Challenge was a great opportunity to engage with real-life challenges facing local governments,” Retta said. “Through this experience, our team gained valuable insight into the aerospace industry and the critical role of public-private partnerships in fostering local economic development.”
Now in its third year, the Sunstone Challenge is part of a growing connection between the consultancy firm Sunstone Management and the USC Price School. More than 100 students have worked with more than a dozen cities to develop economic development plans.
Read more about the Sunstone Challenge and its impact on USC Price School students.
