NAF Alumna Climbs Ladder of Success
If someone had told me that I would be in front of hundreds of individuals giving a speech in English, 15 years ago I would’ve never believed them.
In 2001, my family and I moved to the U.S. from Colombia in search of a better future. I started middle school without being able to speak a full sentence in English. I remember vividly that my parents and I went to Wal-Mart with my school supplies list and a Webster’s English-to-Spanish dictionary in hand. We looked up every single item on that list trying to find them and were doing so well, until we found an item that really confused us, (1) Composition book. This was the one item, that unlike ruler, pencil, pen or eraser, we couldn’t find in the dictionary. The literal translation was “Libro de Composicion”. My dad turned to me and asked, “are you taking a music class?” Frustrated, I explained to my parents that I hadn’t signed up for any music classes – I’m tone deaf. The next day at school, I asked my English-as-a- Second Language teacher what a composition book was and where I could buy one, and she immediately took one from her supply closet and gave it to me. What a relief that I wasn’t going to have to write music! And what a relief she was there to guide me when I needed it.
From that moment on, my teachers played the most important role in my student and later on professional career. As an immigrant, my parents could only guide me so much. I relied heavily on the advice and support of my teachers and guidance counselors to learn about the opportunities I had. As I started high school, I began to think about I wanted to do when I grew up – I thought about being an air force pilot and even an architect. Thankfully, I had to take a mandatory computer class and my teacher, Mrs. Lanier, took an interest in me and noticed my desire to succeed. She encouraged me to join the NAF Academy of Finance at Lake Brantley High School and that was a turning point for me.
During my sophomore year, in Mr. Szecwzyk’s financial accounting class, I noticed that debits and credits came naturally to me. I thought I would study international business, because although I loved accounting, I didn’t know exactly what I could do with an accounting degree. But being a part of NAF made that connection for me. I was first exposed to tax accounting at my internship with a CPA firm. Then, during summer of my Junior year, my Accounting II teacher, Mrs. Daniels insisted that I attend a summer residency program put together by the Florida Institute of CPAs. As you can imagine, it took a lot of effort to convince a teenager to give up a whole week of her summer to attend an accounting program, but I’m so glad I did.
That week in June of 2007 changed my life. I learned that accounting was the language of business and that I could do international business and so much more with an accounting degree; I could work in a private company, I could work in a public accounting firm, a non-profit or even open a business. We also visited the Deloitte office, and immediately upon entering their offices I made the decision that I would get my CPA license and would work hard for the next several years to get myself a full time position there.
As a college sophomore, I was awarded the Deloitte Latina of the Year award at the National Convention of the Association of Latino Professionals of America and received an offer to intern with Deloitte. I worked in South Africa as part of their global internship program, and upon receiving my CPA, I achieved my goal by joining the company full time as an external auditor for both public and private companies in a number of industries.
Today, I work as a business consultant for a non-profit, where I utilize my corporate experience and accounting background to help small business entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Through my job, I witness firsthand the impact that small businesses have on our economy. I am also the youngest person to be elected as the chair of the Florida Institute of CPAs Central Florida chapter. In my role, I work diligently to continue to expose high school and college students to our profession by speaking to classes, student groups, and by supporting our local academies of finance at their annual luncheon.
So today, I say to NAF students- you are lucky to live in the land of opportunities and freedom, where all of your dreams can be achieved with hard work and true dedication. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise and when you get there, don’t forget there is a generation behind you that will be looking up to you for inspiration. To NAF’s donors, I thank you because your support is crucial to the fulfillment of so many student’s dreams, just like the one I once had. And lastly, to my middle school teacher, Mrs. Lanier, Mr. Szecwzyk, Mrs. Daniels and all the other teachers in this room, I want to let you know that your guidance and support to your students, even as trivial as providing a composition book, has an exponential effect on your students’ lives. Thanks to you, just like my life was, the lives of thousands of individuals are changed when you guide us towards success.
