UT Tyler Students Compete at 2026 Econ Games
UT Tyler at Econ Games: UT Tyler was one of 30 universities invited to participate in this year’s Econ Games. The national conference brings together the next generation of economic thinkers to solve real-world business challenges. UT Tyler student team members with faculty mentors are (from left): Carter Tucker of Longview, Caleb Sullivan of Hideaway, Pedro Gallardo-Toledo of Tyler, Niko Vasileiou of Tyler, UT Tyler Hibbs Institute research analyst Dr. Cecilia Cuellar, Sara Maldonado of Palestine, UT Tyler Distinguished Teaching Professor Susan Doty, team captain Jason Aliko of Katy, Edward Burns of Montgomery, UT Tyler associate professor of economics Dr. Meryem Saygili and Luis Alvarado of Mount Pleasant. Not pictured: Anna Arseienko of Tyler and Vini Dominigues of Cedar Park.
University one of 30 institutions invited to participate in competition
TYLER, Texas (April 21, 2026) – The University of Texas at Tyler was one of 30 universities nationwide invited to participate in the 2026 Econ Games, a national conference bringing together the next generation of economic thinkers to solve real-world business challenges. For the first time this year, the competition was open to invited collegiate teams outside the state of Kentucky and surrounding regions.
Ten UT Tyler students competed and gained insights outside of the classroom, utilizing their applied economics knowledge as well as teamwork and communication skills. Faculty mentors were UT Tyler Hibbs Institute research analyst, Dr. Cecilia Cuellar; UT Tyler Distinguished Teaching Professor and Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy director, Susan Doty; and UT Tyler associate professor of economics, Dr. Meryem Saygili.
“An initiative from UT Tyler’s Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy brought together an interdisciplinary group of UT Tyler faculty and a team of talented students,” said Doty. “This was just the beginning––we hope to bring a regional Econ Games conference to Texas in the coming years.”
UT Tyler student team members are listed by hometown.
CEDAR PARK – Vini Dominigues.
HIDEAWAY – Caleb Sullivan.
KATY – Jason Aliko, team captain.
LONGVIEW – Carter Tucker.
MONTGOMERY – Edward Burns.
MOUNT PLEASANT – Luis Alvarado.
PALESTINE – Sara Maldonado.
TYLER – Anna Arseienko, Pedro Gallardo-Toledo and Niko Vasileiou.
The team prepared by meeting weekly during the spring 2026 semester on campus to study data analytics, econometrics and persuasive communication, Doty added. Launched in 2018, the Econ
Games were established in partnership by two public universities in Kentucky. For additional information, visit: theecongames.com/.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.