ACCOUNTING SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

University of South Florida

Fall 2015

In This Issue

Semester in Review

Faculty Spotlight

Student Spotlight

Firm Spotlight

Officers
President: Dakota Whaley
Vice President: Kalen Hess
Secretary: Laina Alleyne
Treasurer: Shaahil Patel
Promotional Director: Amanda Lobaina
Historian: Aysel Guveloglu

Newsletter Committee
Dakota Whaley
Aysel Guveloglu
Emmanuel Garnier
Thanh Dang

Fall 2015

Fall Semester in Review

9/10/15- Pwc Office Tour
We got a great start to the semester by going on an office tour at Pwc. During the
presentation, students learned about the importance of having confidence and the
culture of Pwc. This was a great opportunity to network with the professionals there
and to ask questions about a career in accounting.

9/14/15- Interest Meeting

This semester's Interest Meeting was especially great because it had the biggest turnout in
Accounting Society's history. Members and students interested in joining got to learn more
about what Accounting Society does and why they should consider a degree in accounting.
Students got to play a fun icebreaker in a friendly environment and enjoyed refreshments as
well.

9/21/15- Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton gave us some really helpful tips on business etiquette at this semester's
meeting. They talked about the importance of sending professional emails, networking,
and having a linked-in account. They also spoke about public accounting and the culture
of their firm. Students got the chance to participate in interactive polls and network with
the professionals from GT.

10/5/15- Tribridge
Professionals from Tribridge spoke about private accounting and the importance of AIS
in an accounting career. Students took part in a fun and interactive ice breaker hosted
by the professionals and learned more about the culture of Tribridge as well as the opportunities that are available within the firm.

10/19/15- Advising Session

At this meeting, students learned about the requirements for being in the accounting major, from
the competency exam to GPA requirements. They were informed of the resources that are available for successfully completing the major, for example tutoring and Professor's office hours.
They also heard about the changes in the CPA exam that will be coming into effect in 2017.

11/2/15- EY
Professionals from EY spoke about a branch of accounting that is different from the typical Audit
and Tax branches that we always hear of. They introduced us to their Advisory service and
talked about the opportunities that are available there. We also got to learn more about the culture of the firm and participated in an interactive case study.

11/6/15- Networking Expo

This year's Networking Expo was very fun and exciting. Professionals from various firms
came to network and meet accounting students and share their experiences with them. This
was a great opportunity for students to make contacts and develop their networking skills in
a friendly and casual environment. It is also a great way to prepare for the Career Fair.

11/16/15- Internship Panel

Our internship panel had recent interns from various firms, public and private, who talked
about their experiences during their internships. They spoke about their favorite part of their
internship experience, what firms look for when recruiting students, and why they chose the
company they interned for. They also gave great tips to students who are getting ready to go
to the Career Fair in the spring.

Faculty Spotlight
Kelsey Syvrud
Doctor Syvrud is a teacher here at USF for the Finance department. She graduated with all
three degrees From FSU with her most recent being earlier this year and was immediately
offered a teaching position in our College of Business department of finance. She fell in love
with teaching during her doctorate program where she says she had the opportunity to teach
her students while using her research on international studies of finance. That passion led
her to continuously try her best to find better ways to teach. When asked what was the best
advice she thought would benefit her students whether pursuing a finance degree or any other degree, she said that establishing a good relationship with your instructors, staying current
on ongoing issues or changes and be able to apply the concepts learned in lecture to what is
going on around us was the best course of action, because paying it forward and being practical are the best ways to stand out from our peers, which will ultimately help us start a ca-

reer.

Luke Richardson
Professor Richardson is a teacher here at USF in the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy. Professor Richardson graduated from both the undergraduate and MAcc program here at
USF before going the public accounting route, spending two years as a Tax associate with
Deloitte. He then came back to our Tampa Campus this August to teach Tax courses and
principles of financial accounting. Professor Richardson stated that teaching was his first
choice but was advised to earn some experience in the field before coming back to teach, an
advice which he took and says was beneficial to him. To professor Richardson, helping and
guiding students is the best aspect of his work, because he says that he like our School of
Accountancy have the same objective which is to give the students the best options for their
success no matter what they want to pursue, and the best moments for him are when the
students have the look of enlightenment when they understand the concepts. Professor Richardson would like for students to know that one of the best ways to get motivated and to

stand out from our peers is to get to know our teachers the first week of classes, because
getting to know ones instructor as a person will prompt that student to make greater efforts
in their classes.

Student Spotlight
Ashley White, Accounting
Ashley White is a sophomore with a major in Accounting and a minor in Leadership Studies.
She has always wanted to become an accountant since 6 th grade to follow her family traditions. During her 2 years at USF, Ashley has gained lots of achievements in the academic
perspective. With a GPA of 3.5, she is currently a student in the selective Business Honors
Program, a mentor in the invited-only Bulls Business Community, and an active member of
the Accounting Society. In addition to excelling at schoolwork, she is also committed to extracurricular activities. She serves as an alumnae relations chair for Chi Omega, joins the
organization Make-a-wish America, and collaborates with other members in the Business
Honors Service Association to hold charity events like Casino Night. Ashley used to work as
a fiscal services intern for the Pasco County Government and the fiscal assistant for the
Housing and Residential Education Department at USF. She will graduate in 2017 and work

towards her Master degree to pursue a CPA license.

Rosana Merlo, Accounting

Rosana Merlo is a senior at USF, and she will get her Bachelor degree in Accounting next
year. She is an outstanding student at USF with a GPA of 3.75, and the ability to speak fluently 2 languages, English and Spanish. Besides studying hard at school, Rosana also gets
involved with a lot of activities at USF. She is currently a treasurer for Toastmasters, an organization that helps students to master public speaking. She was also a member in the
Newsletter Committee of the Accounting Society last semester. Rosana has lots of experiences working in the business industry. Before coming to the US to study at Hillsborough
Community College, she worked as an accounting supervisor at a company in Argentina for
11 years. At the moment she is having business-related part-time jobs in Tampa while finishing her last year at USF. After graduating in May 2016, she will prepare to obtain a CPA
license and pursue her career as an accountant.

Firm Spotlight
EY (Ernst & Young)
EY historically has had a strong presence on USFs campus.
EY representatives consistently visit USF and build relationships with students. Some of their visits this semester include a
drop-by meeting early in September, a meeting with the student
organization ALPFA, and a meeting with the Accounting Society. The representatives most often recruit for their local EY office located in the Tampa downtown district. This office prides
itself in being the office of the future, with it being recently renovated with updated technologies, furniture, and an open layout
that promotes teamwork and creativity. EY offers careers in
their tax, assurance, advisory, and transition advisory service

lines. For students, EY offers its very own summer leadership

program called the Emerging Leaders Program, as well as internships.

Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton has been one of the highly sought after
accounting firms by students, but that did not stop Grant

Thornton representatives from trying to make a splash

on USFs campus this semester. Representatives have visited
students several times to build relationships as well as promote
their new brand, which is that employees bring their whole
selves to work every day. In other words, they are trying to set
aside daily distractions, such as cell phones and online media,
while at work in order to make the best impact they can in their
careers. Grant Thorntons local office is located in downtown
Tampa. The firm offers careers in advisory, audit, and tax.
They likewise offer students internships and a summer leadership program called Grow with Grant Thornton.