Caitlyn DeJesus’s love of numbers and logic ultimately laid the groundwork for her career path.
The former Irvine Valley College (IVC) honors student transferred to University of Southern California’s (USC) Marshall School of Business after a course taught by IVC professor Don Bradshaw piqued her interest in the field of accounting. “Dr. Bradshaw’s Financial Accounting class really caught my attention,” she says. “Then after taking six exams in his class and performing well on all of them I realized accounting resonated with me, specifically because it is systemic and logical,” she said. “I especially enjoyed how Dr. Bradshaw taught the materials – he emphasized accounting fundamentals and made them interesting.”
After a meeting with a USC transfer ambassador at IVC, Caitlyn set her sights on the storied Los Angeles school. But she credits IVC for establishing the foundation for her educational success. “I really developed my work ethic and ambition at IVC. Being exposed to so many different backgrounds and situations motivated me to do my very best. Being surrounded by so many intelligent and motivated people at IVC – working to achieve the same thing as me – was uplifting. Everyone had the same end goal.” Her hard work paid off. Caitlyn was a proud recipient of IVC’s Honors Program Exemplary Achievement Scholarship – and accepted into USC.
Since landing at her dream school, Caitlyn has thrived. She recently accepted a tax intern position at the Los Angeles office of KPMG – a Big 4 accounting firm – and is actively involved in Beta Alpha Psi, an accounting and finance honors society, serving as its vice president of membership.
In the future, Caitlyn hopes to earn her CPA, while remaining at KMPG and working her way up the company ranks. “I might also like to concentrate on one industry and eventually work in private accounting,” she says. In any event, she’d love to spread her wings and move to New York City one day. “There are so many accounting opportunities there.”
Wherever she lands, with her strong leadership skills and keen mind – coupled with determination and drive – Caitlyn is well poised for success.