Accountant Admission

 1. The Masters of Accounting program requires teamwork and leadership skills. Please give examples from your past that illustrate your abilities in both these areas and show how you’ve applied them.

 I do believe I have leadership skills, experiences and personal traits that I can draw on when faced with such challenges. I once had an experience with complex problems.

I was working at the American Diabetes Association about two years back. My team was comprised of six people and we were based in the basement of the ADA building. We were charged with the responsibility of counting cash, checks and credit card donations that people had mailed to the ADA through walkathons or general contributions of family members or deceased diabetes patients. We had been split into two groups of three. I had an older man aged 40 in my group.

He was new. As a leader, I took it upon myself to explain to him how to reconcile receipts; tally and balance monies received from donors for the ADA. This was a process we would go through to avoid any discrepancies that would make us count them over again. There are 4-5 large boxes filled with money donated arriving everyday and we could not go home without finishing the job.

My group usually had to stay late almost everyday and so other groups had to stay and help us because our finally tally always had irregularities. The old man who joined our group did not follow instructions that I gave out. Naturally it got to a point where everyone was intolerant of the situation but no one was willing to tell him. I took it upon myself to tell him since I am an open person. I respectfully told him that we were having problems because of him because it was clear he was not following instruction.

It was challenging since he was much older than me. He respected the fact that I had the courage to take him aside and talk to him and did not hide the truth from him. Eventually he started doing the right thing and we had fewer or no irregularities. My leadership skills saved the situation for my group during my tenure there.

The Enron case has allowed the accounting laws to be more stringent. However, laws aren’t the only thing that should govern individual attitudes and behaviors towards approaching their work with integrity. Personal morals and ethical behavior should be the key to approaching ethical dilemmas. I am a person of good morals and high ethical values. My job experiences can clearly state this.

I posses the qualities that I believe are necessary to be a successful and efficient accountant. Trustworthiness is the most important quality of an accountant. Companies employ accountants not only to prepare taxes or review year-end accounts but also to provide sound advice to business solutions as well as understand how business is run in today’s economic and legitimate climate. Accountants who are not trustworthy cannot perform to meet the expectation of the employer. In the past few years, companies have gone out of business because some employees did not abide by general accounting principles. This led to the formation of Sarbanes Oxley Act in 2002.

A good accountant should be meticulous at all times. I demonstrated this trait as a treasurer of the African Cultural Society in 2006-2207 and the vice president of the Syndicate, a hip hop dance team on campus where. During my tenure, I was responsible for the financial administration of the club by keeping complete and accurate records of all financial transactions made, and protecting the organization’s fund from fraud and theft. I served as a custodian by ensuring that the money is kept safe in the bank.

I reviewed all internal controls and devised the first monthly and annual report for the organization audit purposes. Finally I worked with a budget to monitor and evaluate financial progress of the organization. I also helped start IRep Africa, a programme at the college of William and Mary. I had to interact with a number of people from different backgrounds.

A good accountant will always be open to new ideas when faced with a new situation that requires problem solving. In June, 2007, I took a summer internship with Ernst & Young LLP and worked as junior analyst. I was responsible for major audits with clients such as Lockleed Martin Corporation, American capital strategies and American Online. During this time I came up with options to assist me in making meaningful decisions to help me solve problems.

I was the team leader for the year book committee which comprised of thirty interns and we had to put together a final presentation of all our activities and accomplishment for the end of year problem. Working with such a group I delegated tasks for each person to ensure that each participated in the presentation and beat the deadline. In this way, I helped solve a problem.

A good accountant must be well organized to meet deadlines considering that in today’s fast paced business environment, an individual needs to plan in advance in order to meet companies expectations. I prove this while working with Ernest and Young. I prepared audit schedules on time and finished with financial reports before the deadline.

Academically, I volunteer as Junior Achievement teacher for the Waller elementary School here in Williamsburg. I am also the team leader for the Entrepreneurship class.

I have very high goals as I am goal oriented. This has not only help me pursues bachelors in Accounting but am also aspiring to enter the William and Mary Masters of Accounting program.

2. What are you hoping to Achieve during your studies in the MACC program?

The Master of Accounting program will help me attain 150-creidt requirement so that I can be eligible to take the CPA exams. Other than that I believe the masters program will prepare me to attain the values of competence which I need in being good accountant. With such policy of easy access to faculty, I believe I will also be able to build some relationship that I could perhaps use in my long term future goals.

Finally, I am hoping that my education in Accounting together with my concentration in Entrepreneurship, will give me the knowledge, leadership and management skills necessary to accomplish this goal of attaining my CPA license.