 I started becoming really excited about economics, in a way very similar to the passion I developed for music when I was a teenager. My name is James Brohl. I'm a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center. I was not necessarily the best student in high school. I would say I was somewhat of an underachiever. Contrary to many of my peers at the time, I didn't have any plans to go to college. And instead I moved to New York City and tried to make a go at being a musician. I started out playing coffee houses on my acoustic guitar and singing songs that I'd written. I ended up playing in a number of bands, and I was even fortunate enough to be able to go on a couple tours of the UK and put out a few records on an independent record label. It was a great experience, but by the time I'd reached my mid-20s, I found myself wanting something more. And when the band I was in broke up, I decided I'd start taking some classes at Hunter College. And it was during that time that I started reading The Economist magazine. I came across writings of people like Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek. I started becoming really excited about economics, in a way very similar to the passion I developed for music when I was a teenager. And so I ended up going back to school and I excelled at it. And I ended up coming to Virginia and George Mason University and getting a job at the Mercatus Center, which allowed me to pursue a PhD in economics. And if you'd asked me when I was a teenager, if I was even going to go to college, I would have said there was no way, let alone obtain a PhD in economics. And yet here I am, having come full circle in many ways in terms of my educational experience. And I'm very grateful to the Mercatus Center for giving me these opportunities. And now I'm able to make economics a big part of my life, something I'm passionate about. And I feel exceptionally fortunate to have been able to make this my career.