Growing up, I saw my grandma break out her books and work with clientele throughout the year; specifically during tax season as that was her favorite thing to do. Having the opportunity to learn the significance of numbers at a young age influenced my educational journey. I graduated from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Marketing; with the accredited accounting program ranked in the top 50 in the nation. Having 150 credit hours and CPA eligibility, I started on the traditional path by working a busy season at a public firm and quickly determined that I wanted to be the one in the books, not auditing them.