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Kelley School of Business Indiana University Bloomington
Department of Accounting

Accounting Spotlight: Kassidy Hill

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What are your current majors and when do you expect to graduate?
I am currently majoring in Accounting and minoring in Healthcare Management and Policy. I will be graduating with my bachelor’s in Spring 2025 and with my master’s through the MSHM program in Spring 2026.

What is your favorite part of being an accounting student at Kelley?
My favorite part of being an accounting student is the academic challenge and the sense of reward that comes with it. The courses can be rigorous, but I have gained a far deeper understanding of accounting than I thought possible. I appreciate being part of a program that goes the extra mile. These challenges not only enhanced my academic knowledge but also helped me to foster strong connections with peers and professors, which significantly expanded my network.

Why did you choose to major in accounting?
I was not sure what I wanted to major in when I came to Kelley. I knew that I had an interest in working with numbers, organizing information, helping people, and problem solving, but I was unsure how to combine those into a future career. When accounting was initially recommended to me, I did not truly understand all it encompassed. When a professor presented it as a way to organize numbers to tell a story for a business, I knew that I would pursue it. I love using numbers to understand and analyze business decisions, and I know these skills will be crucial as a foundation for making informed decisions in healthcare administration.

Drawing on your experiences, what advice would you give to future Kelley accounting students?
Take full advantage of the diverse resources and opportunities available through Kelley and the accounting department. Everyone here genuinely wants to see you succeed and help to make the most of your experience. Professors are great to meet with for additional support, guidance, and development. Kelley also offers advising, career coaching, internship placement assistance, and mentoring programs, which are all designed to help students navigate this experience and make informed decisions about their futures. These resources also helped me to find comfort in the differences among each student’s journey, while still ensuring I remained on the path towards my goals.

What are your plans for the future?
After graduation, I will be extending my time at the Kelley School for another year to complete my master’s degree in Healthcare Management through a joint program with the O’Neill School. After graduation in Spring 2026, I plan to sit for the CPA exam and hope to begin a career in healthcare administration.

Please tell us about your favorite activities at Kelley and IU.
I really enjoyed my experience as a peer tutor for Computers in Business (K201). It was rewarding to assist other students in the same way I was supported by past peer tutors when I took the course. This role also reinforced my own understanding of Access and Excel and helped solidify those skills for the future. One of my favorite clubs has been the American Medical Women’s Association. It helped me to gain a more well-rounded understanding of the world of healthcare and created a place for me to empower and be empowered by women in the medical field.

What has been your favorite accounting class at Kelley?
The Kelley School offers a well-structured accounting curriculum curated to thoroughly prepare students for their careers in the field. The faculty bring expertise and genuine enthusiasm for their role in your journey. This dynamic ensures that every student has the opportunity to experience a course they are truly passionate about. My favorites have been Taxes and Decision Making and Intermediate Financial Reporting II. I really enjoyed the conceptual and real-world application of tax. Intermediate II, though a challenging course, was where I began to see years of accounting knowledge come together, which grew my confidence exponentially. Both Professor Ruiz (Tax) and Professor Moore (Intermediate II) were instrumental in my academic and professional development, and I highly recommend their classes to future students.

Accounting Spotlight: Grace Schaefer

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What are your current majors and when do you expect to graduate?

I am currently majoring in Accounting with a co-major in Business Law, Ethics, and Decision Making. I will be graduating with my bachelor’s in Spring 2025 and with my master’s through the MSADA program in Spring 2026.

What is your favorite part of being an accounting student at Kelley? 

My favorite part of being an accounting student at Kelley is the opportunity to get involved with the field of accounting starting your first semester as a first-year undergraduate student. Unlike the other Kelley majors, you can take advanced accounting courses before you start I-Core if you choose, which helps with preparing for the CPA examination and any internships you might take part in. It gave me an edge when completing work as an intern and I was able to take on more responsibility because of it.

Why did you choose to major in accounting?  

I’ve always been fascinated by understanding how things work. From the mechanics of a computer to the process of a simple chemical reaction, I’ve been driven by a curiosity about the how and why behind everything. As a child, I constantly asked questions, much to the chagrin of my parents at times. My curiosity naturally led me to accounting, as it provides answers to some of the most compelling questions about business. Accounting is the language of business; it explains why some businesses thrive while others fail. It’s about understanding which numbers go where, ensuring everything is in its proper place. But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of accounting is its ability to tell a story. It narrates how a business grows or falters, providing insights and lessons that guide future decisions. For me, accounting isn’t just about numbers; it’s about uncovering the narratives that those numbers reveal.

Drawing on your experiences, what advice would you give to future Kelley Accounting students? 

Connect with your professors and create a personal relationship with them. Some of the best experiences I have had as a student at Kelley have come because of the support of the professors that I have had the pleasure getting to know. Whether it was Professor Clark clearing his entire schedule so students could talk to him about things they were confused about before the exam; Professor Metz genuinely wanting to hear about all of the little things that were happening in my life and offering her support in any way she could, even if it had nothing to do with accounting; or Professor Mathis taking the time to personally congratulate me for my hard work on an exam, I could not be the student I am without the support of the amazing faculty in the accounting department.

What are your plans for the future? 

After graduating in May (2025), I will be completing an internship in the Audit Department at Deloitte in Chicago. In Fall 2025, I will begin my graduate coursework in the 4+1 MSADA program at Kelley. Then, after graduating in Spring 2026, I hope to work full time as an auditor for a public accounting firm.

Please tell us about your favorite activities at Kelley and IU. 

Reflecting on my undergraduate career at Kelley, two experiences stand out: winning the K204 Case Competition and the I-Core Case Competition. The K204 Case Competition was my first time doing a case study, and it was an unforgettable experience. It was incredibly fulfilling to know that my hard work directly benefited a small business and positively impacted its operations. Working with a client to create an information system from the ground up, which they then used in their daily operations, was a unique and transformative experience for my academic career. Winning the I-Core Case Competition is one of my proudest moments at Kelley. This experience honed my collaboration skills and allowed me to thrive in a high-pressure environment. It taught me the value of teamwork, especially when working with individuals I had never interacted with before. I’ve found that at Kelley, it isn’t just about the application of what you have learned, it is also the soft skills that you develop through real world applications that you can’t learn elsewhere that gives Kelley students an edge. Outside of academics, I am very involved in Greek life. I am a member of the Student Conduct Board for the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life and held many leadership positions within Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, including Vice President of Operations and Panhellenic Delegate.

What has been your favorite accounting class at Kelley?

As I said before, I have had so many enriching experiences through my connections with the professors in my classes, which has made each class stand out to me. However, I would say the most applicable class that has helped my professional life outside of preparation for the CPA exam would be Taxes & Decision Making. Although I do not want to be a tax accountant, I became more informed about the world of taxes and tax policy, which allowed me to be able to speak in an educated manner about my thoughts on economic policy. It also helped increase my financial literacy, which is so important as a young professional.

Accounting Spotlight: Amelia Brackett

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What are your current majors and when do you expect to graduate? 

I am currently in the 3/2 MBA program planning to graduate in 2026. My undergrad majors are Accounting, Finance, and Operations Management.

What is your favorite part of being an accounting student at Kelley?  

My favorite part of being an accounting student is the strong sense of community. Even though the courses can be tough, you are never alone. Classmates are always willing to help, and professors genuinely care about your success. I have had professors who not only guide me through career insights but also support me in my personal goals and interests.

Why did you choose to major in accounting?

I came to Kelley as a management major, unsure of my path. A professor encouraged me to explore a more quantitative major, and a mentor in a student organization showed me how accounting connects real-world data to business decisions. The way she talked about it was exciting. If the numbers are wrong, the decisions are wrong. Without it, nothing stands. That made me excited to pursue it.

Drawing on your experiences, what advice would you give to future Kelley Accounting students?  Retreat from the expectations of others. It is easy to feel like there is a “right” path in accounting, whether it is public vs. private or a certain company that everyone seems to want. But accounting is a skill set that applies across industries and career paths. The best path is one that aligns with your goals, interests, and values. The moment you do that, you put yourself on the path to real success.

What are your plans for the future?

My next steps include studying for the CPA and starting a career in audit.

Please tell us about your favorite activities at Kelley and IU.

One of my favorite organizations has been Women in Business. It has empowered me to grow as a leader and take initiative in supporting other women with confidence and skills to make a meaningful impact in their careers. Another favorite involvement has been Chi Alpha campus ministry. It has given me a strong sense of community, meeting people for all different backgrounds and making lifelong friends.

What has been your favorite accounting class at Kelley? 

I have two! The first is A306 with Prof. B. It was my first introduction to managerial accounting, and it showed me how I could connect my interests in supply chain and accounting. The second is A319 with Professor Greene. It challenged my perception of accounting by showing how it applies to careers beyond the traditional paths. It was not about having all the answers but about being open to learning, which is exactly what I want in my career.

From Classroom to Competition: Accounting Student Excels in Microsoft Excel Competitions

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In recent years, esports competitions have become more popular, drawing competitors from around the world. As this growth has continued, new competitions have emerged in unexpected fields, with one providing a unique opportunity for business professionals and students—Microsoft Excel competitions. Spreadsheets are not exactly synonymous with esports and competitions, but Excel competitions have found their niche with live events even being featured on ESPN.

Among the ambitious contenders looking to establish their spreadsheet credentials, Tim Froelich has developed a reputation as a strong competitor. Froelich is an undergraduate student majoring in Accounting and Business Analytics (minoring in Economics). He will graduate in May 2025 and has already accepted a position with Deloitte in New York City. He discovered the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge (MECC) in 2023, and even though it was his first time competing, he made it to the finals and finished sixth in the world!

The MECC was founded in 2021 and is jointly organized by the Financial Modeling World Cup and Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. This is an international competition open to all college students. Students can qualify for the finals based on their ranking in several Excel “battles” throughout the year or through a two-part qualification round in September and October. Each battle or round involves specific tasks that must be completed in Excel within a specified time limit. The tasks vary in their objectives, but each one involves multiple levels of increasing difficulty. Given the structure of these competitions, a deep knowledge of Excel is necessary but not sufficient, as competitors must also work with focused efficiency to finish as quickly as possible.

The overall experience was a very positive one for Froelich. “I had an amazing experience meeting with Excel competitors from all over the world including Australia, Austria, Germany, Singapore, and more,” says Froelich. “The day was structured with two semi-final rounds in the morning followed by the top eight competitors competing in the live finals.”

Since then, he has continued to invest in learning more about Excel and honing his skills. His hard work paid dividends as he again qualified for the semi-finals and competed live at the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas on December 2–4.

In addition, Froelich has competed in the Microsoft Excel World Championship (MEWC), which is open to the strongest competitors from around the world including professional financial analysts and university professors. He also recently started competing in the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC), which involves using Excel for financial modeling tasks. While he only started competing in the last two stages of the 2024 FMWC season, Froelich was recognized as a Top Newcomer and had the highest score in those stages among all under-25 competitors. These competitions have provided opportunities to expand his skills and align well with the responsibilities he was given in recent internships.

“My experience competing in Excel has given me new problem-solving skills and technical expertise in Microsoft Excel, used nearly universally within the world of business and accounting. At each of my past two internships, I’ve been able to fix, build, and automate Excel spreadsheets that were fundamental to the business operations because of the skills [these competitions] gave me.”

In addition to academics and competing in Microsoft Excel competitions, Froelich is involved with Beta Alpha Psi and volunteering on campus. “One of my favorite activities at IU is my volunteer work for IU Auditorium Usher Corps,” says Froelich, which has provided him an opportunity to “give back to the local community all while getting to see some amazing shows.”

Additional details and information about these competitions can be found at the following links:

Accounting Spotlight: Madeline Neu

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Madeline is a JD candidate at the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University, set to graduate in 2025. She graduated from the Kelley School of Business in 2019, majoring in Accounting and co-majoring in Digital Technology Management and Law, Ethics & Decision-Making.

Why did you choose to major in accounting?

I chose accounting because I wanted to study something that touches all aspects of business. I felt that the best way to be valuable was by understanding the financial motivations and implications behind decisions.

Was there a course/project/group/interaction, etc. at Kelley that has been particularly helpful to you in your career?

I value my entire experience at Kelley. From ICORE and accounting courses to office hours, each aspect contributed to a unique and well-rounded education. For my future career as a technology consultant at KPMG, the Accounting Information Systems course was especially valuable. In my role, I helped design, implement, and control IT environments to comply with SOX, applying business processes and internal control frameworks daily.

What was your favorite part of being an accounting student at Kelley?

My favorite part of being an accounting student was the professors. I genuinely think the accounting department is special in that regard. While I couldn’t possibly name all the professors who made a positive impact on my experience, having people like Professor Rego, Professor Cook, and Professor Shepardson made my time at Kelley interesting, interactive, holistic, and, honestly, just plain fun. For example, the day after graduation, I had just moved home and was already studying for my first CPA exam (Audit). When I checked my email, I saw that Professor Shepardson had sent me a photo of my name going across the screen at graduation. She wanted to make sure I had the picture in case I missed it. It’s moments like this that stay with you throughout your career

Drawing on your career experiences, what advice would you give to future Kelley Accounting students?

I would tell future students that accountants are everywhere. Like me, accountants are in consulting, marketing, finance, human resources, and more. I’m now in law school, and I’m not the only accountant or CPA in my class, nor at the firm where I’ll start after graduation. My point is, accounting is valuable no matter what you choose to do; the skills transfer across careers. The knowledge and skills you gain at Kelley and in the Accounting program truly set you up for success in roles across a company because the program is holistic.

What was your favorite accounting class at Kelley?

This one is hard. As I mentioned, Accounting Information Systems was invaluable and incredibly useful in my career. However, while taking classes, I distinctly remember really enjoying Intermediate Accounting I & II. I know that sounds unusual to most people, but Financial Accounting came naturally to me. The way financial statements flow and impact various accounts just brings it all together. Plus, there’s something really satisfying (and maybe a little nerdy) about creating a balanced financial statement.

Learn more about Madeline on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/madelineneu/

Accounting Department Hosts Open House for Students

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In the spring of 2023, Senior Lecturer Diane Biagioni invited her students to stop by and chat with her and their fellow classmates at an informal open house, which she called “Meet, Greet, & Have a Treat.” The idea was to give students an opportunity to make connections with one another, which is important in a jumbo course like A306 Management Accounting and Analysis.

The way the accounting curriculum is designed, the courses that students take before they decide to major in accounting tend to be large in size. Therefore, the department looks for opportunities to make a big campus and a big major feel a little smaller and more intimate.

“At the meet and greet, students talk about where they are from, internship applications, study abroad opportunities, graduate programs, favorite places to visit, superpowers, superheroes, favorite musicians, favorite movies, you name it,” says Biagioni, who sends these students a follow-up email, thanking them for coming by and letting them know how excited she is to work with them this semester.

When the department heard how well attended this event was, it planted a seed.

“Sometimes it’s difficult for students to make connections,” says Professor Bridget Stomberg. “Our DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) committee shared that even if a student has a brief, informal social interaction with other people multiple times, that can really increase a person’s sense of belonging and can make a world of difference in terms of how students view that experience.”

The accounting department wanted to create an opportunity for students to connect, so on a Friday afternoon in the fall they hosted a department-wide Accounting Open House at the Godfrey Atrium where they served pizza, cookies, and drinks; played games; and distributed Kelley swag to students.

“This was an opportunity for students who were either majoring in accounting or thinking about majoring in accounting to engage with each other and with faculty to learn more about the major as well as what they can do after earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting,” says Stomberg.

The department had representatives from all student accounting organizations on hand, in addition to representatives from Graduate Accounting Programs, to talk about what it looks like to get an additional degree in accounting.

“We talked about the CPA exam and about curriculum and how to major or double major in accounting,” says Stomberg. “We also discussed how they can incorporate the accounting curriculum into their degree plans.”

There were individuals from academic advising, career services, faculty volunteers, and student volunteers. So it really was a robust experience that enabled students to come to a casual setting to learn more about the accounting program at Kelley and the accounting profession in general.

They plan to repeat this event annually, perhaps offering one in the fall and another in the spring.

“We like providing informal social events to increase community and belonging among current accounting and prospective accounting students,” says Stomberg.

Adds Biagioni, “And it doesn’t hurt to have bags of popcorn on hand, along with chocolate anything!”

So Many Options: Intro to Careers in Accounting Helps Students Find the Right Job for Them

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When Professor Dave Greene originally created the A313 Intro to Careers in Accounting class, the fundamental idea was to make sure students understood that there is no linear path to a career in accounting. “This class shows them that they have many choices beyond simply two or three areas and that an accounting degree opens doors for them,” says Professor Brett Levitt, who currently teaches the class.

When Levitt first heard about A313, his initial reaction was that he wished such a class existed when he was a college student so he could have had a more well-rounded understanding of his career options. After getting an accounting degree from Kelley years ago, he went directly into consulting. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy what he did, but he just didn’t know what could have been.

“Now when I listen to Professor Eric Holzman talk about forensic accounting, it sounds so interesting and I think, ‘Had I known then what I know now, who knows where I would have ended up?’” says Levitt, who just completed his fourth semester teaching A313.

Levitt invites in a lot of speakers so that students can hear directly from the source what a certain career entails.

“It’s one thing for me to talk about investment banking, but having never been an investment banker, I can only explain so much,” says Levitt. “Students like hearing how these speakers got to whatever point they are at in their career—from what they did when they first started out to what they did in the second rung or third rung or wherever they are now.”

Very few people stay at the firm they started with. It’s good for students to hear that someone started in one area but then changed gears a year or two later, using the fundamentals from their early career.

Levitt exposes his students to a variety of firms, including Alvarez & Marsal, which is not a public accounting firm. Plus, he invites speakers like the campus recruiter for Grant Thornton, who explains which information to highlight on a resume and other ways to shine during the recruiting process.

Highlighting so many careers is important given that roughly 50% of Kelley students change their majors at some point.

“Unfortunately, many students find out too late—usually the second semester of their junior or senior year when they start taking their major courses—that they don’t want to stick with that major,” says Levitt. “If you’re applying your junior year for internships and yet you’ve never done anything in, say, marketing, how do you know if you want to go into consumer packaging or social media if you’ve never been exposed to those things? That’s why I love the A313 class,” which is taken by students in their first or second year at Kelley.

He’s not the only one. Levitt regularly receives feedback from former students telling him how the A313 course positively impacted their postcollegiate journey.

“They like hearing from the professionals, they enjoy the soft skills stuff we go over, and they appreciate that the class is interactive so they can practice networking and conversation starters,” says Levitt, who notes that next semester they are changing the class meeting time from twice a week for one hour to once a week for 75 minutes to align with the other accounting workshops.

“As a whole, the class lets students know about their options and gets them more comfortable communicating with others in a networking setting,” says Levitt. “The overall goal is to help them find the right job, and this class narrows the process.”

New Rising Leaders Board Connects Recent Graduates with Current Students to Help Them Envision Future Career Paths

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In February 2024, Kelley’s accounting department launched the Rising Leaders Board to connect former students who graduated from 1 to 10 years ago. This timeframe ensures that these board members will be 35 years old or younger. Targeting this demographic is important because these are the people launching their careers. If they work for public accounting firms, maybe
they have been promoted to manager or senior manager but are not yet partners.

The Rising Leaders Board, led by Professor Brett Levitt, serves dual purposes. One is to get former students involved in the accounting department and vested in Kelley. The other is to provide students with more direct access to young professionals they can look up to and ask questions of when these rising leaders return to campus to speak to classes such as A100 or A313 (Introduction to Accounting Careers) or at events such as “A Seat at the Table.”

“Students like hearing from former students who are not too far into their careers because it helps them envision what their career could look like for the next three to five to seven years,” says Levitt. “It’s a way to connect people and start grooming the next generation of Accounting Advisory Group (AAG) Board members so we always have a good pipeline. The AAG is excited about the Rising Leaders Board.”

The other aim of the Rising Leaders Board is to give students the opportunity to hear from people who might not have followed a traditional public accounting firm path.

“We’re trying to broaden the base of what it means to be involved in accounting,” says Levitt. Through these speakers, students see that there’s investment banking, private wealth management, investment management, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, litigation, and forensic accounting.

“Everyone talks about the Kelley network and how the Kelley alumni always want to help future Kelley alumni. This new board provides that connection,” says Levitt.

Going forward, the plan is to provide opportunities for the people on the Rising Leaders Board to get involved in ways such as working with the faculty who teach A313, since the class includes several different projects that are heavily alumni based. One of these projects is the Career Fact Sheet that requires students to interview individuals in 20 different careers, then create a document that highlights various criteria outlining what’s involved in those careers. Levitt says that most of the people on the board will make themselves available for projects like these. For instance, in place of a final exam in A313, students complete a project in which they write a couple of essays, a survey, and have a coaching session with an alumnus.

“With 170 students in A313 this past academic year, we’re hoping to get more professionals involved in that project, and the Rising Leaders Board would be a perfect way to do so,” says Levitt, who notes that currently there are 13 recent alumni serving on the board. The plan is to add one or two members every year—especially alumni who have gone through either MSADA or the 3/2 MBA
program as they tend to be more vested in IU. These alumni can speak to the benefit of earning a graduate degree in accounting at Kelley.

Undergraduate Accounting Certificate Program is Hugely Beneficial to Students

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Every year thousands of undergraduate students hope to be admitted into the Kelley School of Business. Unfortunately, there is only room for roughly 2,500. For those who are not in that initial group of direct admits but are interested in business education, they often pursue majors in the Luddy School of Informatics or the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, or perhaps a merchandising degree from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Certificate programs and minors, in general, at the Kelley School allow nonbusiness majors to earn business credentials from the Kelley School. IU President Pamela Whitten has encouraged Kelley to create more pathways for nonbusiness majors to earn business credentials. In addition, she’s been urging Kelley and other colleges to develop additional pathways to graduate programs. Consistent with those goals, Kelley has introduced the Undergraduate Accounting Certificate Program.

“Say someone is, for example, majoring in informatics and decides that it would make sense to get an accounting credential. They could take the courses that are required for the accounting certificate at the undergraduate level, which are also the prerequisites for admission to our Master of Accounting program,” says Sonja Rego, chair of the accounting department.

When you have this combination of a technical undergraduate degree coupled with an accounting certificate, that’s hugely beneficial in terms of marketability.

“That’s going to open up the world to you on the consulting side,” says Rego. “Today everything is about getting some technology skills, and then accounting, historically, is a fantastic double major or second credential because if you understand accounting, you can excel at anything in business.”

The Undergraduate Accounting Certificate, similar to other certificate and minor programs at Kelley, requires students to take a significant number of extra courses.

Julie Head, teaching professor of accounting, teaches the intro to accounting course for nonbusiness majors with roughly 800 students each year. It’s not unusual for her students to take the course and realize that they enjoy accounting. Once they learn that, they’re eager to find out what other opportunities exist for them to expand their accounting knowledge.

“That’s the type of student we would like to give opportunities to so they can earn a credential in accounting. This [certificate] might make a big difference to these students’ future careers and job opportunities,” says Rego, who regularly talks with recruiters, alumni, and partners at firms, all of whom say they want more Kelley students. That excitement stems partly from the fact that this new certifi ate is a pathway to Kelley’s MSADA (Master of Science in Accounting with Data and Analytics) program.

“With the MSADA program, students gain more technical accounting knowledge, and there is a major emphasis on soft skills, communication skills, teamwork, and field study opportunities,” says Rego. “That’s what really sets Kelley students apart from other programs. Our students come out so polished and ready to dive into the workplace right away.”

Accounting Spotlight March 2024 – Mia Furnanz

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Mia Furnanz received her degree from Indiana University in Accounting and Law, Ethics and Decision-Making (LEAD) in 2022.

Why did you choose to major in accounting?

When I first started at Kelley, I decided to major in Finance because I thought it would lead to more career opportunities for me. However, once I had taken A100 and A211, it became clear to me that Accounting was something I really enjoyed, so I decided to add it as a second major. At the time, I still thought I would go with the Finance career route because I didn’t understand the variety of different career options that were available to me as an Accounting student. However, as I began taking more advanced Finance and Accounting classes, I realized that I enjoyed the Accounting classes more and decided to start looking into career options that would be possible with Accounting. This was where I discovered the field of Forensic Accounting, the industry I currently work in, and which ultimately led me to drop the Finance major and focus on my other interests, like critical thinking and law, within the LEAD double major.

Was there a course/project/group/interaction, etc. at Kelley that has been particularly helpful to you in your career?

Because I don’t work in a traditional accounting career, like Audit or Tax, a lot of the work I do is learning on the job. However, the most applicable project that I worked on at Kelley was the final course project for Audit. In this project, we identified patterns for fraud in financial statement data within IDEA and ran queries to determine irregularities and instances of potential financial misstatements. On a project I worked on in my first year at EY, I was given a project’s general ledger data and was tasked with identifying transactions that were possibly linked to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) violations. Similar to the analysis we performed in the Audit final project, I had to query and analyze this data to determine irregular transactions and potential red flags within the data.

What was your favorite part of being an accounting student at Kelley?

I think the best part of being an Accounting student at Kelley was the vast range of business knowledge I gained and the professors’ focus on encouraging students to fully learn and understand the material. I think the ICORE and pre-requisite curriculum at Kelley is what really sets it apart as a business school and prepares people for their careers. Going into the Accounting field, you can’t only know Accounting topics really well but you also need to understand business, law, information systems, etc. I think Kelley, and the Accounting major specifically, prepares its students really well by requiring students to take classes like communications, business law, data analytics and information systems.

Drawing on your career experiences, what advice would you give to future Kelley Accounting students?

Focus on your writing and communication skills. Accounting is a very technical major and, while you will be doing technical work throughout your career, most work culminates in some sort of presentation, memo or report where you need to clearly articulate technical items to clients, regulators, lawyers, etc. The Accounting major does a great job of requiring classes like Communications for Accountants and the research paper in the Taxes and Decision-Making class. However, I would recommend taking additional classes where you can focus on your writing skills. These don’t even have to be business communication classes. You can also take these classes as electives or for your A&H requirements, focusing on topics you are interested in. For example, I took a Young Adult Fiction class and the Race and the NBA class that Clark Barwick teaches, which were both fun classes that also focused on developing writing skills.

What was your favorite accounting class at Kelley? 

My favorite accounting class at Kelley was Advanced Financial Accounting (A-422). I enjoyed this class because it was the most technically complex class I had taken at IU and I really liked how it challenged me and how much I learned. A-422 provided me a fuller picture about the items that go into a financial statement and led me to understand all of financial accounting more clearly. I also think this class best prepared me for the FAR section of the CPA because the content covered in this class was a large portion of the test. Roshan did a great job explaining complex topics in an easy to understand way that I likely wouldn’t have gotten if I had only seen this content for the first time during my Becker course.

Learn more about Mia on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/miafurnanz/

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