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Michelle Desiata ’22, a Finance and Marketing double major, will be working at Ernst & Young in Boston, Mass., one of the big four accounting firms in the U.S. Desiata will be a Financial Services Office (FSO) Business Consulting Staff, working in the banking and capital markets sector.  

Hands-on Industry Experience: “I had an internship with United Civil Inc. in Middleton, Mass. I was an accounting intern. They had three people in their accounting department and one CFO. I worked one-on-one with them and gained a lot that I wouldn’t have if I had interned with a bigger company. I worked as an internal consultant and fell in love with this line of work. That guided me to the big four. I wanted to offer financial consulting.” 

Leadership Opportunities Outside the Classroom: “I had the opportunity early on to be involved in leadership programs. I’m part of the Inter-class Council. As a sophomore, I was the executive treasurer, and I handled the budgets for all four classes. Handling large sums of money helped me as a Finance major along with my business classes. I brought those skills into my internships, which led me to the job I have post-grad.”  

Alumni Connections Lead to Post-grad Position: “I utilized the Center for Career and Professional Development. I took a career class my first semester, which was really beneficial for me. I utilized my network. There are three platforms I want to highlight: Handshake, the Roger Connection, and LinkedIn for finding 91�������� alumni. Getting to work in an accounting firm is very competitive. Having personal connections and a referral from an 91�������� alum gave me a leg up. I had two competitive offers ready for me to sign on before I finished 91��������.”  

Desiata is from Shenzhen, China.  

Every May, as Commencement nears, 91�������� spotlights members of the graduating class. Suggestions are welcome. Email: stories@rwu.edu