|
Kristin Johnston has something that every student soon to be entering the working word wants — a job after graduation.
“I accepted a job with (accounting firm) Grant Thornton. I had an internship with them previously and after a series of interviews, they were the first people that I heard from — it’s a great fit,” she said. “I know a lot of the people there; there are at least seven Temple students that I know of there and a lot of alums have worked there. In the interview, I felt very comfortable.”
One concern down, many class projects, papers, and exams to go.
“In Cost Accounting, we finished up the semester talking about decision-making — what’s relevant and what’s not. Do you buy a product rather than make it yourself,” she said. “It has a lot to do with cost functions, ‘y=ax + b’ stuff. It’s used a great deal in corporations. That is what accountants do at corporations, they help managers and executives make those types of decisions.”
In Advanced Accounting, the focus has been on fluctuations in foreign currencies, “and how to account for them,” Kristin said.
“A lot of companies are not getting involved in foreign currencies and global transactions,” she said. “Fluctuations can be large. The U.S. dollar, for example, is currently getting beat by the Euro.”
From dollars and cents to torts and contracts.
“In Business Law for Accountants one of our last assignments was a paper on contract laws. A contract can really be anything — between two companies, or a company and a person, or just two individuals,” she said. “For accountants the big thing is when two businesses are involved. I know why I don’t want to be a lawyer. The book is the size of a phonebook, there’s just so much to know.”
Volleyball has also wound down to a close for Kristin with a skills test and, believe it or not, a written test on volleyball terms.
“I can serve and set, but I don’t set the way most people do,” she said with a laugh. “I set it weird. I always feel like I’m going to break my fingers, so I set it with a bump.”
With so much to study for, Kristin felt is was a stroke of luck that her fiancé went away on ski trips two weeks in a row.
“I told him my finals were more important so I couldn’t go,” she said. “It was some good quiet time to study with no distractions.”
Of course there is one little distraction — part of her wedding plans — that is taking up some thought.
“We’ve had to change our honeymoon plans; the Cayman Islands suffered severe damage during Hurricane Ivan. I’m not much of a beach person so I’m not sure why I even wanted to go to an island,” Kristin said. “I’m going to try to get that done before everything in the world is booked. The travel agencies are an experience — they look at us like we’re 15. As soon as you say ‘honeymoon’ you get some interesting looks. From my view, we’re young, we’re going to take lots of vacations so help us now or we’re not coming back.”
With the end of the semester, Kristin is hoping to keep the moment going for Beta Alpha Psi, the national accounting honor society of which she is president, during the spring semester.
“There really was a lot of interest in coming to meetings and the attendance was great for our guest speakers. Over the break I’m going to put together flyers to try to get the word out in classes,” she said. “Your college experience shouldn’t just be going to class and going home. You can learn a lot from each other through your interactions outside of the classroom.”
Kristin knows all about keeping busy outside of the classroom. Much of her free time during the holiday season continued to be devoted to volunteerism and helping others.
“Right before Thanksgiving, the St. Vincent de Paul Society had a food drive and we put together over 250 food baskets for people in the Doylestown area — nursing homes, homeless shelters, centers for battered women. We were also working with the sister parish, St. Martin de Porres in Philadelphia, ‘adopting’ families for the holidays,” she said. “That’s something we did again for Christmas but in addition to food, we also bought toys, games, and clothing for the children. I always get involved in the toys and games because they are fun to go and buy.”
Kristin also helped chaperone members of a youth group from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to a weekend retreat at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown.
“These are kids that were used to running around and they had to be quiet. We had an exercise where they talked about friendship — you really do learn a lot from listening to them,” she said. “It gave them a chance to open up; when I was in high school, there was no way I would have opened up like this. How many people talk about the concept of friendship in high school? No one that I knew.”
With the holidays completed, Kristin’s mind once again is focused on the classroom. The spring semester will include the likes of Business Administration 361, Business Policies, the capstone course for business majors, and the Senior Seminar for accounting majors, “which is a little scary,” she said.
“I also having an accounting class on taxation, an Excel seminar I’d like to take, and a General and Strategic Management class,” she said. “I’m also taking karate. I have to put a gym class in there somewhere.”
Over break, Kristin is also taking part in the Ambler campus Extern Program, which is offered through Career Services. The Extern Program, similar in nature to an internship, offers students a combination of work experience and college credits.
“I’m hoping to work in a corporate setting to learn the other side of accounting, something different from my own career plans. I want a new and different experience in that sort of setting,” she said. “My goal is to graduate with honors. I have the grades, it’ll just take a few extra classes to ensure I have the credits.”
This is the third part of an “A Year in the Life” series featuring Kristin Johnston. Kristin, of Doylestown, was completing her Accounting degree at Amber at the time of the series.
|
