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Kayla C.
Kayla Cuthbert ’28 didn’t always see herself in a boardroom. For much of her high school career, she envisioned a future in medicine. Two classes during her senior year altered that trajectory.
“I took personal finance and AP Microeconomics, and something just clicked,” she says. “They were my first quantitative classes in this area, and I realized how much I loved thinking analytically, solving real-world problems and asking big questions about how systems work.”
Now, as an economics major at Agnes Scott, Cuthbert is building on that spark with purpose. She has her sights set on a career in finance, followed by corporate law—and she’s already seizing the opportunities that will help get her there.
During her first year, she dove headfirst into economics coursework with professors such as Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere and Patricia Schneider, who helped sharpen both her skills and her sense of direction. By the spring semester, she had enrolled in a 300-level course, a bold move for a first-year Scottie.
“It was challenging, but it was also exciting,” she says. “That course confirmed for me that I’m in the right major and that I’m willing to put in the effort.”
She recently participated in Expanding Discovery in Economics+ (EDE+), a summer program that takes students to economic and policy hubs, such as Washington, D.C., and Chicago. There, she attended lectures by Nobel laureates, visited institutions that shape global economic policy and engaged in deep conversations about how identity, access and data intersect.
“EDE+ gave me a more nuanced view of economics, and it showed me that I don’t have to leave my passions at the door when I enter a field like finance,” she says.
She also enrolled in Bridge to Business, a three-week immersive program run in partnership with Georgia Tech. Designed to translate liberal arts thinking into business strategy, the program blends classroom sessions with corporate visits, networking events and real-world case studies.
“It’s giving me the language and experience I’ll need in the corporate world,” she says, “and it’s helping me understand which areas of business I’m most drawn to.”
Cuthbert continues to explore roles and industries that align with her interests, and she credits the college with building her confidence to try new things.
“I haven’t just found one mentor,” she says. “I’ve found a community here. The faculty and staff really show up for us academically, professionally and personally.”
Cuthbert knows that studying economics at a women’s college means she’s entering a traditionally male-dominated field with a different kind of power and confidence.
“Agnes Scott is helping me walk into any room knowing I belong and that I bring something valuable—not despite my background, but because of it.”
Kayla C.
