Sarah

Hello! I'm Sarah Oliva and I am a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst! I am majoring in accounting with a minor in psychology.

Choosing a major at UMass was slightly difficult for me; I have always been interested in the inner workings of running a business and what goes on behind the scenes concerning the financial budgets. However, I also have always loved working with people and being surrounded by a team. Sitting at a desk all day was definitely never an image I had for myself. I wanted to be in a big business working with numbers but at the same time knew I needed to be surrounded by people and constantly on the move to be fully happy with my career. I was torn between a range of majors, some being more math related such as finance, while others were more social, such as management.

Taking my first accounting class at Isenberg, I realized that I really enjoyed the subject and found what I was learning interesting but still very challenging. Everytime I found the solution to a tricky problem, it was extremely rewarding and kept me motivated and wanting to learn more.

Learning more about the auditing track of accounting was when everything came together for me. I knew that auditing would be a perfect combination of my passions for both my major and minor, psychology. This summer I will have my first internship at a public accounting firm where I will work on an actual auditing team. I am extremely excited to start this new adventure and increase my knowledge in the subject.

Just as I know I don’t want to sit still at work all day, I know that I don’t want to sit still during life. I am not afraid to try new things and want to gain as many valuable experiences as possible. While not in class, I enjoy being involved in numerous clubs, hanging out with friends, hiking, dancing, skiing, and cooking.

It may sound strange to say that my passion is accounting. I am not saying that I love sitting down every night to do my accounting homework, or that I would rather spend my weekend doing accounting. I am not even saying that the subject itself is my passion. I have a passion for a career that is challenging and engaging. I am excited to be working with a team, working with clients and to be constantly learning. I know that I still have a lot to learn and look at college as a way to expand my knowledge and refine my interests in the field of accounting.