I was in an unusual situation coming into Fuqua. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech, I had a job offer to join Ernst & Young (EY). I was looking forward to launching my career in financial services, but I also wanted an opportunity to develop my analytical skills. The MQM program seemed like the perfect fit. I had several conversations with the Admissions team to determine that Fuqua was the right place for me. I decided to defer my offer at EY to learn more about finance through MQM’s finance track.

Not having to deal with the stress of finding a job allowed me to focus on soaking up as much information as I could at Fuqua. I learned some really cool skills that have come in handy on the job and have improved my interactions with clients. I was encouraged to see my classmates getting offers for positions similar to mine at EY, confirming that I made the right decision to attend the MQM program.

Now, I work as a consultant in financial services at EY. My clients so far have been big banks. On one project, my team and I worked to improve the banks’ risk management systems by addressing vulnerabilities and equipping them for the future. On another project, we were tasked with boosting the efficiency of a bank’s compliance platform. I think it’s a really cool time to work in the banking sector. There are a lot of changes happening in the market. Banks are looking to stay ahead and up-to-date with technological advancements—and that makes my job more interesting!

When I’m not working on some of these projects, I enjoy getting involved in internal initiatives. Women in Financial Services is one of them. The group creates opportunities for women in the industry to connect through events or other experiences. This is still a new initiative, but so far, we have seen a great turnout. I want to help establish a platform for women in financial services so other women can see themselves working in this industry and be willing to reach out for support.

I am looking forward to growing as a consultant at EY and seeing where my career goes from here. In a recent interview with Fuqua’s Admissions team, I explain what my day-to-day looks like as a consultant at EY, how I benefitted from Fuqua’s Career Management Center (CMC) despite already having a job offer, and what my career trajectory looks like.