Kersie Jhabvala was CU Denver Business School graduate student in the Accounting Program prior to graduating this past December. Kersie shared with us the story that led to her choosing CU Denver and eventually graduating from the university.
“So my story actually started on the east coast—I was born and raised in North Carolina, then went on to run Track and Field/Cross Country at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. At Penn, I was an Econ undergrad and French minor, and honestly didn’t plan on doing grad school in accounting until my senior year. My dad was really the reason I got into the field in the first place—as a licensed CPA, he held his own practice back in North Carolina so I became familiar with it then. I’ll be honest, even from helping out at his firm when I was younger, I definitely knew I did NOT want to be a CPA! It was so boring,” Jbahvala said.
“Anyways, back to my senior year in college, accounting was starting to grow on me after taking a few classes, and at that point I needed a solid footing in some field since I knew economics wasn’t what I wanted to do after school. The only way I could get into accounting really is to do a masters in order to get those necessary credits. Why Colorado? Well my parents made the move from North Carolina to Colorado when I was still at Penn (I was the last kid to leave the house, so why not), and boy am I glad they did. I applied to CU Denver because A) I’d get in-state tuition, and B) I had heard CU-Boulder was more research-based and that really wasn’t what I was looking for—then again, I didn’t know much. The other reason I’d say is because my dad, Jami Jhabvala, teaches at CU Denver in the business school, so he was able to provide some insight about the school and environment. And…the rest is history!”
“CU Denver has certainly been a good transition coming from a place like Penn. In all honestly, Penn was a very tough environment, and I never truly found what I was passionate about. When I came to CU Denver, I finally realized that I was in the right field (accounting), and the school provided me resources to achieve the goals that I set out to achieve. After receiving some great marks in my grad school classes, I gained confidence going into the various career fairs held by the business school, and luckily I landed the job I had I always worked for: a position in one of the Big Four. Nonetheless, it’s always tough to make yourself standout from the fantastic credentials of others, and I was no standout at Penn, but coming here I felt more welcomed and felt as if I could progress forward while still enjoying the process. It’s great because a few of my peers are in the same boat I am currently: already hired at accounting firms and currently sitting for the exam—which in-turn has created a really nice support system. All in all, I wouldn’t be in then position I am today without the tools that I attained from CU,” Jhabvala concluded.
Jhabvala graduated with her masters this past December, although she is currently taking a research class at CU Denver because it’s required for the CPA license. “It basically feels like I haven’t graduated yet, ha.” Last Fall, she landed a full-time, audit position at Deloitte, and is thrilled to be set up for the future. Her immediate plan now is to pass the CPA prior to starting work in August.
To learn more about a master’s degree in Accounting, click HERE.
