Jessica Yang

Enterprise Business & Tech reporter

Jessie Yang is a sophomore studying statistics. She's interested in business, technology, and finance, and is a member of the Caimanes Student-Managed Hedge Fund, where she researches companies and develops investment theses. She's currently exploring a career in investment banking. Outside of The Alligator, she enjoys playing tennis, golfing, and pretending not to struggle on hikes in pretty places.

The Fed's decision to change the interest rate could have an impact on UF students who have private loans.

Jea Nace

Enterprise

The Fed raised interest rates for the first time in three years. Here's what it changes for UF students with loans

By Jessica Yang | Oct. 7

The Federal Reserve voted unanimously to raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point Sept. 16, bringing its target range to 3.75% to 4%, the first increase since July 2023. About 91% of U.S. student loan debt is federal, which doesn't change in parallel to interest rate changes. Congress sets the rate once a year and the rate is locked for its life. Federal Direct Loans first disbursed between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027, carry a 6.52% interest rate for undergraduates, 8.07% for graduate and professional students and 9.07% for PLUS loans, according to the Department of Education. The Fed’s increase can, however, affect private student loans.

Florida minimum wage is increasing from $14 to $15.

Mily Moran

Enterprise

Florida's minimum wage hit $15 on Sept. 30. Restaurants and workers disagree on its impact

By Jessica Yang | Sep. 30

Florida's minimum wage rose to $15 an hour Wednesday, completing a series of increases Florida voters approved in 2020, when the state minimum was $8.56 an hour.

Technology has changed how people invest, from paper statements to trading apps.

Anenaa Kumar

Enterprise

Investing got easier, but fewer young people are doing it

By Jessica Yang | Sep. 19

Today, trading a share of stock is free. Until 1975, it cost a fixed commission set by the New York Stock Exchange. By 2004, it was about $10 at a discount broker, and by 2019, it cost nothing at all across the industry. Yet fewer young people are investing than they were a few years ago.

Rent signs for Silver Creek Apartments along Old Archer Road, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.

Keira Simone

Enterprise

The Fed might raise interest rates Wednesday. How could it hit Gainesville?

By Jessica Yang | Sep. 15

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates on Wednesday for the first time since July 2023, reversing a series of cuts made in 2024 and 2025.

Daniel Khani, incoming Goldman Sachs investment banking analyst and MSF student at UF, poses outside the Warrington College of Business, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.

Mily Moran

Enterprise

Wall Street wants UF students earlier than ever, but the jobs they're racing toward are shrinking

By Jessica Yang | Sep. 9

Finance recruiting starts as early as sophomore year, pushing students to start preparing their freshman year, a time which is typically seen as an exploratory period.

Construction on the south block of SW 1st Avenue in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, April 17, 2026.

Bayden Armstrong

Enterprise

From pandemic fix to permanent plaza, The Streatery opens after six years

By Jessica Yang | Sep. 7

The fences and barriers around The Streatery came down Sept. 4, opening downtown Gainesville's new pedestrian corridor to the public after six years of votes and delays and months of construction that cut into neighboring businesses' sales.

Daniela Ortiz

Enterprise

Campaign cash matters, but Gainesville candidates say conversations win elections

By Jessica Yang | Aug. 31

Candidates elected to the Gainesville City Commission and Alachua County Commission Aug. 18 said fundraising increasingly pays for targeted voter outreach through mail, text messaging and digital advertising. But face-to-face conversations with voters remain one of the most valuable parts of campaigning.

Balancing work, school and everything else has gotten harder for UF students as costs rise.

Daniela Peñafiel

Enterprise

How are UF students covering rising costs this school year?

By Jessica Yang | Aug. 24

If traffic cooperates, the drive from Cape Canaveral to Gainesville takes about three hours. Eli Stewart made that trip every few weeks this Summer, squeezing in a shift at a campus molecular lab before turning around and driving back home. The lab is one of two paid jobs he works year-round, on top of a full course load and freelance web design.