MPA Student Profiles – Page 2 – Master in Professional Accounting Admissions Blog

Category: MPA Student Profiles (page 2 of 4)

REGISTER: Meet Current MPA Students and Alumni

April 19, 2023 / Keri Ledezma / 0 Comments

Want to learn more about the Master in Professional Accounting program from students and alumni who have experienced it first-hand? Join our virtual panel on Thursday, April 20 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT! Current MPA students and alumni will discuss why they chose to study accounting and provide details about their experiences in the program, including their favorites classes, recruiting and employment opportunities, and life at Texas McCombs. Plus, you’ll have the chance to ask the panelists questions!

Register Now!

Event Details:
Thursday, April 20
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT
Virtual – Zoom

Meet the Panelists!

Paul Nabhan | MPA ’12
Associate, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

Paul earned his master’s in accounting through the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program at Texas McCombs. Paul is an attorney and CPA based in New York City. His primary practice involves representing financial institutions, corporate borrowers, and private equity sponsors in complex structured and leveraged finance transactions.

Letitia Wu | MPA ’23
Current Student

Letitia is currently in the traditional Master in Professional Accounting (tMPA) program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in both accounting and operations & information management from Georgetown University. Letitia is pursuing the generalist track within the MPA program and is also a MPA ambassador. She is open to connecting with prospective students as they consider attending McCombs!

Alec Weissman | MPA ’19
Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company

Alec earned his master’s in accounting through the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program at Texas McCombs. He lives in Dallas, Texas and has experience in both public accounting and management consulting. Alec’s strengths include developing 3-5 year strategies, leading high-performing teams, standing up transformation offices, and driving effective implementation of cross-functional projects.

Austin Hayes | MPA ’23
Current Student

Austin is a Texas native and is currently finishing his degree in the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program. While in the program, he pursued the taxation track and completed an internship with Deloitte. Austin is now looking forward to rejoining Deloitte after graduation!

Meet the MPA Student Ambassadors

Are you interested in the Master in Professional Accounting program at The University of Texas at Austin? Learn about life at Texas McCombs, employment recruiting, and living in Austin first-hand from our MPA student ambassadors! Ambassadors are current students who are available to answer questions about their experiences in the MPA program.

Get to know our student ambassadors:

Joseph Hsu

Favorite Netflix show: The Crown
Go-to Austin food: BBQ
Best study spot: Robert B. Rowling Hall
Home Country: Taiwan
Career Interests: Audit/Assurance Services

Armani Sampat

Favorite Netflix show: Seinfeld
Go-to Austin food: Street Tacos
Best study spot: Perry-Castañeda Library
Home country: India
Career Interest: Taxation

Jack Rollings:

Favorite Netflix show: Ozark
Go-to Austin food: Granny’s Tacos
Best study spot: Merit Coffee
Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Career Interests: Audit/Assurance Services

Landon Christensen:

Favorite Netflix show: The Office
Go-to Austin food: Chuy’s
Best study spot: Campus
Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona
Career Interest: Taxation

Lynn Ashby

Favorite Netflix show: Last Chance U
Go-to Austin food: Cabo Bob’s
Best study spot: Study Rooms in Robert B. Rowling Hall
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Career Interests: Advisory, Forensics

Melissa Liang

Favorite Netflix show: Sandman
Go-to Austin food: Tex-Mex
Best study spot: MPA Student Lounge
Homecountry: Taiwan
Career Interests: Audit or Taxation

What is something that surprised you about the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) program?

MPA ambassadors share what surprised them about the MPA program!

Keep in mind that our ambassadors are not directly involved in the admissions process and therefore cannot answer admissions-related questions. Visit our admissions web page for details about the admissions process and reach out to the MPA admissions team MPA@mccombs.utexas.edu if you have any questions.

Our ambassadors look forward to hearing from you!

REGISTER: Meet Current MPA Students and Alumni

February 8, 2023 / erikalemaster / 0 Comments

Join us on Thursday, February 16 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT for the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Current Student and Alumni Panel. You’ll meet people who have experienced the MPA program first-hand and hear about their time in the program, why they chose to study accounting, and their career opportunities. Plus, you’ll get the chance to ask the students and alumni questions.

Register Now!

Meet the panelists:

Angie Jin, MPA ’05
Senior Director, Internal Audit at TIAA

Angie earned her master’s in accounting through the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program at Texas McCombs. While in the MPA program, Angie was also able to earn her internal auditor certification by incorporating it into her curriculum, and she has since continued to attain additional certifications. She is now the Senior Director of Internal Audit at the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America in Dallas, Texas.

Armani Sampat, MPA ’23
Current Student

Armani is currently in the traditional Master in Professional Accounting (tMPA) program. After earning her undergraduate degree in accounting from Ithaca College, she chose to attend the MPA program to develop a deeper knowledge of taxation. Armani is also a MPA ambassador and is open to connecting with prospective students as they consider attending McCombs.

John Howard III, MPA ’19
Senior Associate, Embark

John earned his undergraduate degree in accounting/finance from the University of Arkansas and earned his MPA at UT Austin. After graduating, he began his career at Deloitte in audit assurance before moving into the industry sector. John is a Senior Associate at Embark, where he continues to help companies grow and operate more effectively.

REGISTER: Meet Current MPA Students and Alumni on November 16

November 10, 2022 / Chelsey Stewart / 0 Comments

Hear from current Master in Professional Accounting students and alumni at our virtual panel on Wednesday, November 16 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT! MPA students and alumni will discuss why they chose to study accounting, as well as detail their experiences in the program, including their favorites classes, recruiting and networking opportunities, and life at Texas McCombs. Plus, you’ll have the chance to ask the panelists questions!

Register Now

Event Details:
Wednesday, November 16
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT
Virtual – Zoom

Meet the Panelists!

Yadira Avitia | Current MPA
Undergrad: Psychology, University of North Texas

Yadira grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and received a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of North Texas. She decided to earn a graduate degree in accounting from Texas McCombs to master the language of business. She strives to service businesses within various industries who are working to make this world a better place.

Christine Cockerell | MPA ’17
Senior Financial Analyst at Toyota North America

Christine earned her undergraduate degree in finance/accounting from American University and earned her MPA at UT Austin. She is interested in financial advisory services, particularly in the airline, automotive, and real estate sectors. She was born and raised in Texas and is a private pilot and avid golfer.

David O’Neil | MPA ’15
Senior Associate at Crescent Cove Capital

David earned both his bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from UT Austin. He focused his studies in financial accounting, as well as volunteered as a tax preparer through the Tax Practicum course. His passions include corporate finance, new technologies, and investing.

Eric (Junqi) Wen | Current MPA
Undergrad: Accounting, UT Austin

Eric grew up in China and went to high school in Sugar Land, Texas. He is a current student studying in the Master in Professional Accounting Program. Upon graduation, Eric will be working as a strategy analyst at Accenture in Chicago, Illinois.

REGISTER: Meet Current MPA Students on July 12

July 8, 2022 / Keri Ledezma / 0 Comments

Join us at the Texas McCombs MPA Current Student Panel to meet people who have experienced the Master in Professional Accounting program first-hand. You’ll hear about their time in the program, why they chose to study accounting, and what they enjoy about the UT campus and living in Austin, TX. Plus, you’ll have the chance to ask the students questions.

Tuesday, July 12 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT (virtual)

REGISTER NOW

Meet the Panelists

McKinley Boden
tMPA ’22
Tax Track

McKinley grew up in the Atlanta area and went to Florida State University for her undergraduate degree. She came to UT to pursue her master’s because she liked the city of Austin and wanted to go to a top program. She is a traditional MPA student on the tax track and will be starting on the tax staff with EY in Denver come January. Until then, she will be working on studying for the CPA exam. Outside of school, she enjoys live music, trying new restaurants, and running.

Joshua Costo
iMPA ’23
Audit Track

Josh is an integrated MPA student on the audit track. He interned with Caterpillar during his junior year, PwC during the spring 2021 busy season, and will be moving to Connecticut in January to work for the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) after graduation. He is a member of Longhorn Powerlifting and Camp Texas, two beloved organizations that he has been a part of for the past three years. He is excited to work at the FASB post-graduation to help companies and investors understand and solve complex accounting issues.

Francisca Guerrero
iMPA ’23
Tax Track

Francisca is originally from Quito, Ecuador and moved to The Woodlands, Texas when she was two years old. She is a Canfield Business Honors student, as well as an integrated MPA. Throughout her college career, she has been interested in attending law school and learning about other cultures. As a result, she did an internship abroad in Shenzhen, China, wrote her Honors Thesis on e-commerce in China, and she hopes to pursue a career in international tax accounting at EY where she is currently interning.

Zoe McDowell
ECON-MPA ’23
Generalist Track

Zoe is from Livingston, Texas and recently graduated from UT Austin with a bachelor’s in economics and anthropology. As a student in the ECON-MPA program, she began taking graduate accounting courses last year. Her favorite course so far has been Intro to Audit with Professor Johanns, and she is pursuing the Generalist Track so she can curate her own course selection. Zoe is currently a Summer Analyst at an investment banking firm and plans to move to New York City after graduation to continue her career in investment banking.

Meet Current MPA Student Tabetha Wilhelm!

May 23, 2022 / Chelsey Stewart / 0 Comments

Tabetha Wilhelm grew up around accounting, so when it came time to earn her master’s degree, she had one program in mind: Texas McCombs MPA. Read on to learn more about Tabetha and life in the Master in Professional Accounting program.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I’m from San Antonio, Texas!

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN ACCOUNTING?
I come from a family of accountants and small business owners, so accounting has been part of my life whether I knew it or not. My dad earned his accounting degree in Germany in the ’60s before he immigrated to Texas.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO ATTEND THE TEXAS McCOMBS MPA PROGRAM?
The Texas McCombs MPA Program has been my dream program since I started college. I could have worked on a master of accountancy at several different schools in San Antonio, but I knew that coming to Austin was the right choice because I knew I would have top tier professors. Plus, the design of the program provides the opportunity to take courses in the areas of accounting that I am interested in studying and I’m not regulated to a set pre-determined set of classes. I do have required coursework, but the ability to take and the access to elective business and accounting classes stands out compared to the other programs where I was admitted.

Tabetha Wilhem Graduation

WHAT HAS YOUR FAVORITE CLASS BEEN SO FAR AND WHY?
Corporate Tax (aka Taxation of Entities-I). Professor Johnston-Blair is wonderful and makes class so much fun. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in an accounting class in my life!

WHAT ARE YOUR POST-GRADUATE PLANS?
Over Spring Break, I accepted an offer to join the EY tax team in their San Antonio office, and I am scheduled to start in July 2022!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS?
I have many favorites when it comes to UT’s campus. I love Littlefield Home because I’m a sucker for Victorian architecture, and I also loved having class in Rowling Hall (the McCombs School of Business graduate building). The benches outside the Harry Ransom Center are also a nice quiet place to have lunch outside (and hey, we have a Gutenberg Bible in the HRC!). The turtle pond behind the tower is also a great place to visit.

ANY TIPS FOR THOSE LOOKING INTO THE PROGRAM?
There’s a reason why the MPA program is so highly rated; our professors are amazing and on top of being great educators, they also have the professional experience to back up their knowledge. The career services and networking available to MPA students has already been incredibly useful.

Learn more about the MPA program by attending an event or meeting with the admissions team. The application for fall 2023 admission opens this August!

REGISTER: Meet Current MPA Students and Alumni on April 14

April 12, 2022 / Chelsey Stewart / 0 Comments

Attend the virtual Current Student and Alumni Panel as we chat with five people who experienced the Master in Professional Accounting first-hand. You’ll hear about their time in the program, why they chose to study accounting, and their career path since graduating from the program. Plus, you’ll have the chance to ask the students and alumni questions.

Thursday, April 14 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT (virtual)

REGISTER

Meet the Panelists

David Elliott, MPA ’22
Current Student

David is originally from Houston, Texas and earned his bachelor’s degree from UT Austin in economics. He wanted to get his foot in the door in the business world but found it difficult with only an economics degree. He found he had a passion for accounting after minoring in it and taking an Introduction to Tax course, so David decided to go back to earn his master’s in accounting at the McCombs School of Business.

Renee Hoekstra, MPA ’18
Assistant Controller, Waste Connections

Renee earned her undergraduate degree in accounting at Michigan State University, then came to UT Austin to earn her master’s in accounting. While in the MPA program, she was a student ambassador and met with prospective and newly admitted MPA students. After graduating from McCombs, she worked at PwC for three years before transitioning to her current role at Waste Connections as Assistant Controller. She is based out of Chicago, Illinois.

Enrique Munguia, MPA ’22
Current Student

Enrique is from San Antonio, Texas and will earn his MPA degree this summer. Enrique has had internships in accounting, finance, and data analytics at Goldman Sachs, Holt CAT, and Noroc Naturals. After graduating this summer, he will move to Atlanta and work as an Accounting/Finance Analyst at Google. Enrique is currently the President of the Longhorn Wrestling Team, and he is an NCWA All-American and NCWA Southwest Conference champion.

Karin Schultz, MPA ’16
Senior Analyst, Emerson Global Financial Services

Following her time in the MPA program, Karin joined Emerson in St. Louis, Missouri as an Internal Auditor, progressing to becoming a Senior Auditor before moving to an Analyst role in a newly created Global Financial Services Group. In mid-April she will be taking a Manager of Financial Controls and Analysis role at Emerson’s Appleton Business Unit based in Chicago, Illinois.

Garrett Shuffield, MPA ’18
Associate, Jackson Walker

Garrett is an attorney in the Wealth Planning practice of Jackson Walker’s Austin office. He was a summer associate at the firm in 2019 and 2020. While studying for his MPA degree, Garrett served as a teaching assistant in the accounting department. He was also a research assistant while in law school at The University of Texas at Austin.

REGISTER: MPA Current Student and Alumni Panel

February 15, 2022 / Keri Ledezma / 0 Comments

Join us at the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Current Student and Alumni Panel to meet four people who have experienced the MPA program first-hand. You’ll hear about their time in the program, why they chose to study accounting, and their career path since graduating from the program. Plus, you’ll get the chance to ask the students and alumni questions.

Register here! We’ll see you Thursday, February 24 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT.

Meet the Panelists:

Courtney Crosby, MPA ‘14 – University of Houston Law Student
After graduating from the MPA program in 2014, Courtney worked at Southwestern Energy as a Joint Venture Accountant. She then transitioned into law and interned at a District Attorney’s office before going back to school to earn her law degree from the University of Houston.

Arjun Naganathan, MPA ‘22 – Current Student
Arjun is originally from Southern California and is currently finishing up his MPA degree while double majoring in film. After graduation, he will join McKinsey & Company as a Business Analyst. His career aspirations include working in sports and pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

Anthony Saenz, MPA ‘22 – Current Student
Anthony graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015 with an Industrial Distribution degree. After working for a few different energy and engineering companies, he decided to go back to school to earn his graduate degree in accounting to better understand how an organization operates. Anthony is currently studying tax and will graduate this summer.

Sarah Stiff, MPA ‘17 – ESG & Sustainability Senior Consultant, Deloitte
Sarah started her career at Deloitte as an auditor in their Houston office. After three years of working with real estate clients in financial statement audit, Sarah joined Deloitte’s Sustainability & ESG services team. She currently helps clients with their disclosure outlook and strategy, enhancement of ESG data processes and controls, as well as complete and accurate reporting in accordance with industry-recognized ESG frameworks and standards.

Register Today!

REGISTER: Upcoming Virtual MPA Events

January 14, 2022 / Chelsey Stewart / 0 Comments

Are you interested in learning more about the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) program at Texas McCombs? Join us for a virtual event! Coming this spring are MPA info sessions and a panel where you will meet current MPA students and alumni who have experienced the program and started their careers in accounting.

TRADITIONAL MPA INFO SESSIONS

Explore the MPA application and admissions process, curriculum and career outcomes, and what life is like in Austin.

Thursday, January 20 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT

Tuesday, February 15 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CT

CURRENT STUDENT AND ALUMNI PANEL

Current MPA students and alumni will join us to discuss their time in the MPA program and also answer your questions.

Thursday, February 24 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming virtual event!

REGISTER: MPA Current Student and Alumni Panel

November 22, 2021 / Chelsey Stewart / 0 Comments

Join us at the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Current Student and Alumni Panel to meet five people who have experienced the MPA program first-hand. You’ll hear about their time in the program, why they chose to study accounting, and their career path since graduating from the program. Plus, you’ll get the chance to ask the students and alumni questions.

Register here! We’ll see you Tuesday, November 30 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT.

Meet the Panelists:

Kashif Ali, MPA ‘22 – Current Student
Kashif is an integrated MPA student who will be graduating this spring. He has held multiple internships in both public accounting and industry organizations, including data strategy and accounting at Amherst Holdings, tax management consulting at Deloitte, and financial analysis at Amazon. This summer after graduation, he will going to work full-time at Amazon as a Product Manager.

Marie Chhiber, MPA ‘22 – Current Student
Marie received her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in Cello Performance. As she pursued her music career and ran her own business, she discovered she enjoyed accounting (especially tax) and decided to take the plunge and change careers. Marie is seeking a tax accounting role with a medium- to large-sized tech-forward company and will be pursuing the CPA licensure.

Chad Clark, MPA ‘09 – Director of Financial Markets, PwC
Chad has spent more than 12 years in PwC’s Financial Markets and Real Estate practice. He is a subject matter specialist, focused on the taxation of securitization transactions and tax reporting for entities that hold or issue debt and complex financial instruments. His professional experience includes tax planning and reporting for corporations that hold or issue complex financial instruments, taxation of securitization transactions, and developing and enhancing tax applications and processes for debt transactions.

César Guerra, MPA ‘06 – Sr. Director-Process Excellence, Aon
César is Senior Director for Process Excellence for Automation & Transitions at Aon. His job is primarily focused on delivering reusable and scalable solutions that will help drive process optimization and efficiency globally. He currently leads a multi-disciplinary organization across the US, UK, India, and Poland. Prior to joining Aon, César was both at Amazon and General Motors. Throughout his career, he has held several leadership positions across multiple areas such as M&A, Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit and Business Services.

Katy McNey, MPA ‘11 – Sr. Manager, KPMG
Katy joined KPMG Dallas in January 2012 after graduating from the MPA program. As a Tax Senior Manager and CPA, she has over nine years of experience assisting clients with US tax compliance and consulting related to cross-border transactions. From January 2015 to April 2016, Katy served as a Seconded Assistant Manager within KPMG Hong Kong’s US tax practice. She also has significant experience managing large internal teams in a virtual environment and has been selected to serve on various internal KPMG councils which focus on firm strategy and growth.

Insider Information for Prospective Texas McCombs MPA Students

Category: MPA Student Profiles (page 2 of 4)

Meet the Panelists!

Get to know our student ambassadors:

Meet the panelists:

Meet the Panelists!

Tuesday, July 12 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT (virtual)

Meet the Panelists

Thursday, April 14 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT (virtual)

Meet the Panelists

Meet the Panelists:

TRADITIONAL MPA INFO SESSIONS

CURRENT STUDENT AND ALUMNI PANEL

Meet the Panelists:

Applying to the Texas McCombs Master in Professional Accounting Program?

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