4th Year at the University of Cincinnati
Semester Breakdown
Fall semester of my fourth year of college was when I started realizing how close I was to graduating college. The previous three years of college had flown by at an incredibly fast pace. This realization gave me a slight sense of urgency to accomplish any last minute activities that I had planned on doing during my time in school. It was through this reasoning that I decided to join UC's Racial Awareness Program (RAPP) early on in the semester. This is an impactful 9 month program that promotes social activism in students through challenging debates and interactive activities in an effort to educate each other on issues of social positioning and social justice. The program helped me learn and grow in so many new ways throughout the school year which made it such a worthwhile experience. In addition to new programs, many of the academic courses that I took throughout the semester were more challenging than previous years due to the higher levels of the courses being taken. This semester really forced me to buckle down and find a functioning balance between my social time and free time. Additionally for the third time, I was able to attend the National Association of Black Accountants Central Region Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This experience was a little different than past as the student representatives from my school were mostly younger college students while I was one of few upperclassmen attending. This gave me the opportunity to help students at the conference get the most out their experience. Overall while the academic courses during this semester made it challenging, I was able to meet and get closer with so many new people throughout the fall semester that easily made it one of the most memorable and enjoyable semesters yet.
Spring semester of my fourth year of college was unique to any other year of mine as I decided to delay my graduation in order to accomplish two goals that were important to me. The first being, to gain experience in public accounting during the busiest time of the year by interning in public accounting during the Spring semester. The second goal was to participate in a study abroad experience that lasted alot longer than two months. My time spent interning in public accounting during the semester was very beneficial as I was able to work the same amount of hours as many of the staff in the firm which gave me a great glimpse of what I could be doing professionally in the near future. Additionally, I was also able to apply and get accepted into an external 2 month study abroad program in Madrid, Spain through the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) program. While this program was a both not needed for my graduation nor the most financially feasible, I chose it because it gave me a great opportunity to engulf myself in a different culture which I knew would help me grow much more as a global citizen.
Spring semester of my fourth year of college was unique to any other year of mine as I decided to delay my graduation in order to accomplish two goals that were important to me. The first being, to gain experience in public accounting during the busiest time of the year by interning in public accounting during the Spring semester. The second goal was to participate in a study abroad experience that lasted alot longer than two months. My time spent interning in public accounting during the semester was very beneficial as I was able to work the same amount of hours as many of the staff in the firm which gave me a great glimpse of what I could be doing professionally in the near future. Additionally, I was also able to apply and get accepted into an external 2 month study abroad program in Madrid, Spain through the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) program. While this program was a both not needed for my graduation nor the most financially feasible, I chose it because it gave me a great opportunity to engulf myself in a different culture which I knew would help me grow much more as a global citizen.
Third NABA Central Region Conference
My time this year at the NABA central region student conference differed from previous years as I was able to act in more of a mentor capacity to many of the University of Cincinnati students who traveled with me on the trip. This allowed me to reflect on my past experiences in order to help both myself and other students maximize their own experience at the conference. Additionally, I was able to receive a NABA Central Region Scholarship at the conference which was awarded to me through my completion of a through scholarship application that required letters of recommendation and multiple essays. Overall, this conference once again allowed me to connect with new future business professionals who I will likely stay in contact with throughout my time in the business workforce.