Kristen Seely is an accountancy major with minors in Spanish and Global Trade & Commerce. She will graduate with the rest of her class this May; however, Seely will be returning for a fifth year to complete her Masters in Accountancy.
Ever since high school, Seely has known she wanted to do accounting. Originally, she only knew she wanted to do something numbers-related, but after spending time shadowing various business departments at the Ohio State Medical Center, she determined that she loved accountancy. On top of this, she enjoyed her first accounting class at Wake Forest, which proved that this was the best fit for her.
This past semester, Seely interned for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, where she will be returning after she becomes a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
“The [internship] program is set up so you do your internship during the busy season, so I was working from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.,” Seely said. “My whole life was work, and I really got involved in what I would actually be doing in the workforce and not just doing textbook problems.”
On top of excelling in the classroom and in her internship, she has been extremely involved in her community. Seely was the Vice President of Communication in the Wake Accounting Society, a Teaching Assistant for the Intermediate Accounting courses and the Event Director for her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. Within all of these organizations, Seely felt that she was able to make a huge impact on the lives of other students within her community.
Seely met Professor Thomas Canace while in Wake Accounting Society. He was her advisor while she served on the Executive Board and has remained a mentor to her for the past two years. “Her biggest accomplishment is her leadership, as she served in Wake Accounting Society. The other officers and students came to respect her greatly,” Canace said. “I’ve seen her grow in terms of her communication skills significantly. When she first started out she was quiet, but she learned how to communicate to a mass of her peers.”
Seely spent a majority of her time within the School of Business community. She found a huge support system within the school and felt like it gave her the necessary skills and resources to be successful post-graduation. Despite coming back for another year, she will miss this community she found the most.
Wake Forest has had a constant presence throughout her life. Both her mother and grandmother attended the school, and once Seely discovered her love for accountancy, she knew Wake Forest was the best fit for her. “They really emphasize that it’s a small school, but you have larger-school resources,” Seely said. “I got to know every single person in my class. I also had so many opportunities to go abroad, do research, work in different jobs and ultimately feel prepared to go out into the workforce.”
During her time at Wake Forest, Seely found that she learned more than just the accounting standards. She also became a better writer, more mature and she learned how to take on more responsibilities. With everything that she has been involved in, she had to learn how to multitask and manage her time in the most efficient manner. But most importantly, she learned to do what you love and what you’re passionate about.
