Upon completion of the SMU Cox MSA Program, my immediate short-term career goals are becoming a Certified Public Accountant and starting at Ernst & Young in Dallas, TX. The SMU program will be crucial in obtaining the skills and knowledge to achieve those goals. Over the past year, I had the opportunity to intern with Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young. From my experience with both companies it has strongly solidified my direction in becoming a Certified Public Accountant. As a result of the internships, I received an offer from Ernst & Young to join their staff, once I have completed a masters program in Texas. I am highly driven, stay current on business & technology trends, and would like to set a goal for myself to be a Senior staff member of Ernst & Young within 2 years. This would challenge me to take on more responsibility, enrich my accounting skill set, and embrace my love for building professional client relationships. My acceptance into the SMU Cox MSA Program would be a key component to achieving my goals of becoming a Certified Public Accountant and actively working at Ernst & Young. My long-term professional goals are working in public accounting, become a partner at a firm, and develop great long lasting relationships with my coworkers and clients. I acknowledge most people in accounting say they wish to become a firm partner but becoming a partner is not an easy path, it represents many challenges and sacrifice. I feel up to this challenge and can set myself apart by driving new experiences, education, and ideas. . I would love to give back by becoming a mentor to incoming employees and encourage others in pursuing a career in Accounting. Some examples of this are giving presentations at colleges or career fairs, supporting my alma maters (Michigan State University) with networking opportunities, career discussions, and giving to the supportive programs that helped to shape and strengthen my career path. Lastly, I have a personal love for international travel and would greatly enjoy working in the European accounting market for a few years. I’m highly interested in understanding how accounting differs in other countries, what skills, tools, and laws are in place that would enrich my understanding of the accounting world. Hopefully I would be able to instill some on my own knowledge in return. Overall, I really want to make an impact in the company I work for but also be able to give back to the colleges and communities that allowed me to achieve this goal.