Kent State Works - Our Economic Impact
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Laurie Ann Moennich, Ph.D., didn't arrive at Kent State University planning to change healthcare. She came to study graphic design. But Kent State had a way of opening doors she didn't even know existed.
When Becky Lehman walked into her first class at Kent State University, she was in her 30s, raising kids and working at an embroidery shop in nearby Mogadore, Ohio. Today, she is the health commissioner for the Portage County Health District – a career milestone she credits directly to the degrees she earned close to home at Kent State.
When Cameren Hicks graduated from Kent State University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a minor in finance, he knew he wanted to build a career rooted in numbers, problem-solving and analysis. Today, Hicks is a fraud modeling and analytics lead associate at KeyBank, where he helps protect customers and the company against fraudulent credit and debit card activity.
Kent State University graduate Emma Sherrie, '09, always had a feeling she would study anthropology, but still she took the time to check out all the other options available before finally settling on her original plan. Kent State’s Exploratory Program, which helps undecided students sample different disciplines before committing to a major, was a key part of Sherrie’s experience, and the main reason she chose Kent State in the first place.
Solon High School art educator Jennifer Thompson, MA ’03, BA ’95, credits Kent State with teaching her that art education isn't just about creating — it's about building critical thinking, empathy and self-expression skills that students carry into every career.