Anastaysia Cole
Graduate Student, USC, CA
“As I dive deeper into the accounting profession, my mission is not just to advance my own career but also to uplift and support young girls who share my aspirations. I want to serve as a guiding light for those who, like me, are navigating the world of accounting, both academically and professionally. I want to become an advocate for individuals who look like me, using my own journey as a source of inspiration. I have been fortunate to benefit from the guidance of a mentor, and I am deeply committed to paying it forward by providing mentorship and support to aspiring accountants.”
Madrid Spain
Graduate Student, UC Irvine, CA
“My career aspirations and goals strongly align with ABWA's mission, which is dedicated to the retention, empowerment, support, and mentoring of women of color in the accounting and finance profession. ABWA's vision of fostering a community and providing mentorship deeply resonates with me. I look back on my undergrad years and imagine how a program such as ABWA would have positively impacted the trajectory of my professional career. However, I am fortunate to have come across the organization at this moment in my life.”
Tatiana DePante
Graduate Student, Southern New Hampshire University, NH
“My goals align with ABWA because it’s extremely important for me not only to reach a certain level for my own gain, but I would also like to be a mentor to other young black women like me when the time comes. There are many things that I would like to accomplish such as hosting free financial literacy to lower class single mothers, bringing awareness to the disparities of women of color in accounting, and hopefully one day be able to offer a scholarship…I am a strong believer in paying good acts forward, and ABWA has been nothing but a blessing for me so I would like to do the same when I am able to.”
Shaquala Harris
Senior, CSUSB San Bernardino, CA
“Like the Alliance of Black Women Accountants, I am dedicated to empowering and supporting women of color, and our youth. I know that there is a shortage of black women like me in the financial industry and I love the work that organizations like this Accounting Alliance is doing. Investing in the next generations. …To have the support and mentorship of women like me who have the background and experience I’m pursuing will provide me with the knowledge, experience, credibility, and credentials I’ll need to grow as a leader and to do more innovative work.”
Mary Joy Whiting
Senior, California Baptist University, CA
“ABWA has been a great support system for me. I wish I had known about this organization sooner, as it is life changing. We all know something incredible happens when women come together as one. As we learn with one another, we move forward in the same direction to ensure the legacy of building each other up will continue for generations to come. Each of us has been shaken, yet together, we stand.”
KaTia Cummings
Senior, Fisk University, TN
“Something that is important to me is my community and from my experience, I have learned that we can do better with learning financial literacy. I think that it is important to talk about finances at the dinner table so that we can teach generations how to pour back and invest in our communities. This is a major reason why I am so interested in accounting because I came into college not knowing a lot and now that I have learned more, I have learned how important finances and finance topics are. I want to be able to take what I have learned in school and through real world experiences and take that knowledge back to my family and community so we can grow.”
Reyna Clark
Sophmore, California Lutheran University, CA
“I believe AWBA’s mission to empower and support women of color in the accounting profession has benefited me and many others around me by giving women of color the courage and support to continue pursuing their passion for making a difference in the world.”
