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Economics Alumni Testimonials

Hear from former students who took part in our economics program and learn how they used their experience to build successful careers.  

Rebecca Burrows

 Rebecca Burrows

     
     Senior Financial Analyst
     Nestle
     
     BA Economics, '16

 “An economics major provides the framework to build a career in any quantitative field. The entire program constantly asks you to not just question “why?” but to review all aspects of a given issue and apply data backed analysis to answer real life questions. Every day as a financial analyst involves being presented with a business problem and asks how to solve it through quantitative reasoning. In any job, it is imperative to understand what incentivizes and motivates coworkers and to understand their thinking. Majoring in economics prepares you for both the psychological and analytical sides to this coin.”

 

Josh Swift

 Josh Swift

     
     Analyst
     Key Corp. and Commercial Bank
 
     BBA Economics, '19
    

 “Economics by definition is often times associated with business concerning the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services but that definition doesn't do enough justice to the impact it has. More informally, Economics is a social science that analyzes societies as a whole and the actions/choices that the various agents make within said society. Economics taught me to be a critical thinker, but more importantly a critical thinker that can understand context and nuance.”

 

Kavitha Bagavandoss

 Kavitha Bagavandoss

 
     Finance Manager
     Microsoft
 
     BBA Economics, '14
     
 
   
 
   
 

 “What I like most about Economics is the fact that everything does not have a straightforward answer. Although there are formulas, much of the time is spent on the how, what, and why of solving a problem. That’s what sets econ majors apart from those who rely solely on formulas/outcomes to tell the bigger story.”

 

Lucas Misera

 Lucas Misera

 
     Community Development Analyst
     Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
 
     BBA Economics, '18
     
 
 

“Economics requires an analytical skill set and understanding of human behavior applicable to nearly any field in public- or private-sector work. Studying economics develops the quantitative reasoning and intuition necessary to become a key problem solver for businesses or government organizations. Economics curricula provide the theoretical knowledge necessary to make strong normative arguments, and my economics classes at KSU prepared me as both a practitioner of data analysis and savvy consumer of research.”

 

Jera Oliver

 Jera Oliver

 
     Director of Development
     The Ohio State University
 
     BBA Economics, '14
     
 
 

“Overall, studying economics helped me make sense of the world and many problems. It provided set of tools and heuristics that resonated with me. As a logical thinker who finds comfort in numbers, I appreciated the quantitative nature of the field and saw early on that I could take many paths with this major under my belt.”

 

Kevin Hogan

 Kevin Hogan

 
     Director of Risk Management
     Macy's Corporation
 
     BBA Economics & Political Science, '10
     
 
 

“In my current role, I am the Director over Risk Management, Credit Bureau Dispute Operations, and Fraud Forecasting at Macy’s. I truly feel like I have one of the best jobs anyone could ask for. I work with a great team and I get to help set policy and develop strategy for Macy’s credit card portfolio in partnership with Citigroup. Every day is different and presents new challenges. The skills I use today are much of the same skills the Kent’s economics program helped me harness. The basic understanding of macro economics is also critical in my role.”

 

Craig Fishel

 Craig Fishel 

 
     Financial Advisor
     AXA Advisors LLC.
 
     BBA Economics, '18
     
 
 

“Having an understanding of how the economy works and the analytical side of things, helps me have a more in-depth conversation about investments/retirement with my clients.”