A little background (1 of 2)

A little background on me:

I grew up in Apopka, FL with my parents and older brother.  I feel like I’ve always been pretty responsible, aside from a few years in high school that were filled with sneaking out, lots of drinking and skipping class on a regular basis.  I worked 2 jobs during my senior year of high school.  After, I signed up for community college and found a full time job at a wealth management firm.  When I transferred to the University of Florida, I found jobs that were more flexible and allowed me to work on my own, but somehow, work always found me.  I’m very thankful for that and for the time that many people spent helping me along the way.  I’m what some people would call a busy body; I have to be doing something all the time.  At UF, I got involved with every organization I could find, I volunteered, I lead study groups, I went to every weird and different event I could and I loved every moment of my time in Gainesville (ok, my parents and best friend might disagree – I was pretty miserable my first 6 months up there, but we’ll skip over that part).

Thanks to the advice of my boss at the wealth management firm, I decided to major in accounting.  Why?  Because I’m capable of doing it and let’s be honest, no one likes accounting, i.e. I will always be able to find a job!  After undergrad, I continued on to get my Masters in Taxation from UCF.  And let me just tell you, that’s a fantastic conversation starter at the bar… “what is your major” “tax accounting” “oh…..”.  In reality, I actually enjoy tax accounting, I think it’s interesting and finding the answer to tax questions is like solving a puzzle.  After 3 great internships and passing my CPA exam, I landed my first job in Orlando at one of the best wealth management firms in the country (thanks again to a previous boss)! 

What a perfect, responsible life!!  Ok ok, it’s not all been responsible and boring, I’ve had some amazing adventures too!  I traveled to New York City for spring break to work with the homeless community, took a pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland with a group of strangers, spent a summer leading camp on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma, and traveled alone in Europe for a month.  With each of my adventures, which some would call crazy, I have realized more and more that I love traveling, meeting people, learning about cultures and finding adventure!