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As they near graduation, many senior accounting students are jumping directly from the classroom to a cubicle. Chris Michaels, Ellexus Nash, and Tayla Randall, have accepted job offers from New England’s leading accounting firms due to their success working as interns this semester. The early job news follows a growing trend for Curry’s Accounting Program, which has averaged a 98 percent career outcomes rate since its launch in 2017. Today, the young Curry alumni lead jobs in public and corporate accounting and audit, tax and financial planning with roles at the “Big Four” and other prestigious firms worldwide.
Ellexus Nash ’21 and Tayla Randall ’21 recently accepted positions as staff accountants with Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP, a business consulting and accounting firm based in Canton, Mass., after serving as full-time tax interns since January.
“The students we have recruited and hired from Curry have been dedicated, hard-working professionals that show up eager to learn and with positive attitudes every day,” says Jaclyn Linehan, tax manager at Gray, Gray & Gray. “They have all demonstrated that the solid educational foundation they gain at Curry can translate to real-world success outside the classroom. We will continue to recruit Curry students and alumni for positions. We love to support our community and provide valuable experience to local students and graduates, and we enjoy working with the faculty at Curry; it’s clear that they truly care about their students’ success.”
The soon-to-be-graduates also credit the Accounting program’s robust curriculum, applicable classwork, and supportive faculty and staff for their early success. “The work world is a lot different than school, but all of my professors have incorporated real-world case studies and projects in our curriculum, which I know helped make the transition easier,” says Tayla Randall. “It has been such a blessing to have been able to intern at Gray, Gray & Gray and to have stood out to receive a job offer. I know it doesn’t happen all the time, and I have to thank my professors and staff at Curry for their help in getting me where I am today.”
Fellow Senior and Gray, Gray & Gray Intern Franklin Kelleher ’21 agrees with the sentiment. Because of the Curry faculty, he chose to stay on at the College to pursue a Master of Science in Accounting, which allows students like Kelleher to graduate with two degrees in five years, saving on time and tuition all while satisfying the 150-credit requirement for the CPA exam. “The typical accounting student chooses to go for their master’s degree to meet the credit requirements to sit for the CPA as well as the increase in income potential,” he says. “I chose Curry because of the teaching staff. I knew that I was going to go through a program that was well structured and challenging and one that is taught by faculty who care about their students’ success.”
Kelleher joins many current students and young alumni who have continued studying in a fifth year at the College to gain a graduate degree in accounting. Graduate student Cody Murch ’20, MSA ’21, says the advanced degree has already helped expand his job prospects. He recently accepted a full-time job offer to begin working this fall for KPMG, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. Many others join his success, including Meghan Dillon ’20, MSA ’21, who works as a corporate tax associate with Eaton Vance and Brian Patterson’20, MSA ’21, who recently joined CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP as an audit associate. Other young alumni have been recruited by PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), Deloitte, PUMA Group, and Acushnet Company, the parent company of Titleist and FootJoy.