Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
With the rising cost of higher education is it really worth the investment? At Howard
Community College we offer an affordable education that's a sound investment. Stay tuned as I
talk with successful alumni who echo our motto: you can get there from here.
Welcome to In Focus. I'm Dr. Kate Hetherington, joining me is Jennine Anderson; CPA and partner
with UHY Mid Atlantic, part of UHY Advisors. One of the largest accounting firms in the
United States. Welcome Jennine.
Well thank you for having me.
We're so interested to hear your story and have lots of questions for you. So let me
start off by asking you about UHY, and tell me what you do there.
UHY is a financial services firm really you're-you're uh what you think of as a public accounting
firm. We provide services in audit, tax and various services like that and also consulting
on financial matters. I happen to be part of the Columbia office. We have three partners
there, I'm part of the management team and my personal specialty is audit and tax work
for non-profit organizations.
Wonderful.. very responsible um job that you have and uh serving as a partner.. that's
quite a responsibility. Uh you also serve on many boards in the community, can you tell
me about those?
Yes.. um going back.. way way back I served for quite a while on the Jim Morales entrepreneurial
fund that.. that is the fund where bank funds um help uh finance businesses that could not
get funding otherwise. I served for quite a while with the advisory board for family
and children services in Howard County and most recently I was on the board and treasurer
of Grass root.. Grassroots crises intervention center.. uh now I'm serving, I've scaled back
a little, I'm serving on the audit committee for the Howard County Arts Council.
Oh, all great organizations that do so much for our community. Now uh of course your accounting
skills come into play in serving with these community boards.. can you tell me how you
got involved in accounting in the first place?
Well, I was a career changer and I started out getting my degrees.. bachelors, masters
and even four years in a PhD program in economics. I went on and worked for general electric
for a number of years as an economist. I was commuting to DC from Wa.. from Columbia. And
I thought you know.. actually GE was getting rid of our division and I thought I really
like working with numbers and I bet there are a lot more jobs for accountants in Columbia..
the economists.. I don't like that commute so I needed to find a place to get the credits
I needed.. get my CPA.
So you needed to find a place and that- the first place you thought of was Howard Community
College?
Well, there were a lot of advantages to coming here.. it was very affordable. The- all the
courses were offered, so I had everything I needed to sit for the CPA exam, and it was
convenient to attend at the time I had small children, and uh I needed to wait until my
husband got home from work.. who stayed with the kids.. and so uh it was great. I came
here at night.
Did you find students that were similar to you, evening students?
Yes, it seemed that there were more career changers in my classes than beginning students.
Yeah.. and that's often the case here at the college uh we have career changers.. many
of them have their masters, bachelors, PhD's.. and they're coming for something new. Were
you recruited for a position in accounting, right out of HCC or.. how did that work?
Well.. I as I said I took the CPA exam but at the same time, my teachers at HCC had been
from industry and also from uh higher education.. and I had never met anyone in public accounting
and that's the other part of.. that's the other thing that CPA's do so I had a friend
who was always talking about.. they had some tax issues.. taking her things to her accountant
and I said.. could I- do you think your accountant would talk to me? And.. so she gave me his
name.. I called, told him who I was and it happened to be Jim Peacock.. whose my current
partner uh at the time Jim was very generous with his time.. he told me all about public
accounting.. and so we parted ways at that time.. I said well I'll tell-let you know
how I do on the CPA exam. Couple months later; in those days it took a while to get the results,
I found out I had passed the whole thing first time.. Yay HCC and um he said well come in
for an interview. And so that was 1986 and..
And you know that-that says something too, not only about the skills that you have but
also the value of those um informational interviews where you're just trying to find out about
a career and see if it's a good match um or just learn more about it and think about is
so.. very important thing that we often tell students to think about while they're here
you know kind of test the waters and talk to people around the field. Um what was your
experience like at Howard Community College?
I discovered that.. people going back to school after having been in the workplace
are very competitive.
That's a good thing in your field though right?
Yes. Very competitive um very I think atleast in my own case.. I was a little relaxed as
an undergrad.. and so I was the same way that a lot of my classmates were we were- we were
really driven to get the most we could out of the education.. did all the homework that
maybe I didn't' do as an undergrad.. so.. so it was pretty challenging really.
Well I'm sure the professor must have loved teaching that class because there's nothing
better than to have students that are really focused and uh really wanna do the best that
they can. Um one of the things that we uh were always interested in is the experience
beyond the classroom that you were um a young mother, with children and um so for you you're
probably focused more on what was happening in class and then what was going to happen
afterwards.
Correct.. that's correct I would do my homework you know during nap times and go to class
at night and then really I there wasn't much interaction on the campus and actually the
campus was much smaller.. less places to interact..
Yeah.. yeah things certainly have changed over the years haven't they? Um so Jim Peacock..
he hired you right away and so then that became the beginning of a wonderful relationship...
tell us a little bit about that
Yes.. yes yes.. well I started out as a staff accountant at a at a advanced age.. and uh
I was with.. the firm we were with then it's the Baltimore firm.. uh we then in 1998 we
pulled out of that firm and formed our own firm.. Peacock Condron Anderson and Company..
and so I became a partner at that time.. that was 1998. And then in two thousand and seven
we merged into this much larger company where we are the Howard County Office of that company.
But throughout I think my experiences with the company as we've been is you know a lot
of opportunity.. we're relative the cultures small but we have a lot of high quality work
that we can do.. so it's a good experience for people coming into the firm to work on
a lot of different things from the beginning to the end. An alternative to a big four where
you would have such large clients that you might audit cash for weeks at a time. Well
in our.. in our firm you can be with a big firm.. have the uh good resources of a large
firm but be able to touch and work with clients very quickly.. you'll-you'll be having that
client contact.
So that's probably uh one of the true measures of your success that you keep growing but
keep retaining clients over the years.. that's great. Uh would you recommend Howard Community
College to folks that may be considering a career change?
Oh absolutely, absolutely I've been following uh all of the things that have been going
on here in the Sciences, and health and and I just think.. it worked for me beautifully
and I think it's.. the way that the world is now it just makes a lot of sense.. so yes
if-if I had more children growing up now, if I were advising a young person I would
say this is a really good place to consider.. and for all those career changers out there
you know if anyone wants to be a CPA please go to Howard Community College and then come
see me.
Well you're a great recruiter for us and a great success story and uh and I really
do wish you continued success.. I'm glad to hear that HCC was a part of that. So.. thank
you so much for being here today.
Thank You
Coming up next we'll meet a graduate of the Rouse Scholars program, who's bringing software
engineering to a whole new level.
Learning at home.. learning in the classroom.. learning for success. For learning that works
for you choose Howard Community College. To find classes and programs that fit your schedule
and learning style visit hcclearningworks dot com. You can get there from here.
Joining me is Marcus Bryant, a computer software engineer at Clarity Business Solutions. Welcome
Marcus and thanks so much for being here today.
It's great to be here.
Well we wanna hear all about you and your connection to HCC but let's just start off
with what your current job is.
Oh so right now I'm working for Clarity Business Solutions and we're an engineering company,
and we built software solutions for the United States Government. And I'm a software engineer
so I-I write programs and build web pages and basically build systems that help the
government uh take a lot of data and make sense of it, visualize the information so
that people can make important decisions about what they do with the information.
How did you get interested in uh computer engineering, I mean.. and when did you get
interested in that?
I had a really really early start it was back in Elementary school, I think second grade.
The teacher took the class into the computer lab and we- we're on a- on a system called
an Apple 2.
Oh Yeah
It's an old computer..
I remember that..
And we were putting this big 5 and a half uh 5 and a 1/4 size floppy disc into the machine..
it's a long time ago.. we were using a program called Logo, which is basically like a maze
and you had a turtle that you had to navigate through the maze.. and you were programmed
different instructions on which way to turn and how many steps to take in order to get
the turtle out of the maze. And I was just fascinated with that.. I think I stayed in
the lab well after the class was over.. just completely-completely thrilled with being
able to program instructions. That's kind of where it all started.
Oh well great beginning and great instructor that you had that inspired you. Yeah.. you
never know what's going to click with the students.. obviously that was a.. a good connection
for you. So um so you had that kind of background and then you knew that you wanted to go to
college.. so how did you learn about Howard Community College.
Uh so I was in I think in my junior year of high school um and I was speaking with my
gui-guidance councilor to kind of survey the different options.. and she's actually the
one who told me about the Rouse Scholars program at- at uh HCC and said that this was something
that could be a good fit for me. And uh after that I came to Howard Community College they
had a uh an information session with uh the different people in the Rouse Scholars program
telling-telling that parents and students about the program.. and that's how I found
out about it.
Now I know about the Rouse Scholar's program but I'm sure our audience would love to hear
about it so um tell us a little bit about the Rouse Scholar's program.
Well to me it's an awesome program because you have a lot of great faculty here that
are giving that-that are teaching really cool classes.. just a variety of different subjects.
And then you also have these bright students coming from all different uh High School's
in the area.. and they get all the.. they get the students together and we do not only
things in the school but we do like extra curricular activities outside of school like
uh for example we-we went to an old folks home and helped entertain the people there..
we did different community service activities there around the community. So it-it sort
of helped form uh a-a friendship among-among all the.. amongst all the scholars in the
program.
And-and you're very modest.. it's an honors program, it's a very select program and uh
we have a lot of people applying for the program, it's a very limited number of students who
get admitted so uh you were-you were one of the uh best and the brightest in that year
and you were selected for that. So good for you.
Yeah, that's great.
Now did you apply to other schools besides HCC?
Yeah I applied to uh let's see UMBC um College Park, Virginia Tech and uh obviously Howard
Community College.. I was accepted to all those schools.
So what-what triggered that ongoing HCC.. what convinced you to pick HCC?
Yeah it was a hard decision, it's always hard that time in your life.. you know with your
whole future ahead of you.. and you know I.. I was looking at the situation from the perspective
that I didn't have a lot of money saved up and Howard Community College and the Rouse
Scholar's program was gonna be a lot more affordable.. you know for me and my family..
Right
And then the other reason was I always felt like I hadn't really achieved.. got-got the
marks that I thought- that I thought I could
Right
I think that a lot of- a lot of students find that they do really well early on in high
school maybe their first and second year and then after that the grades kind of drop.
Mmhmm yeah that does happen
Because if we were to graph my grades it would pretty much be a line that started pretty
high and then slowly diminished overtime.
Well there were a lot of distractions too
There-there are.. growing up is very hard.
Yeah
And so I-I thought about it as an opportunity to say hey if I just apply myself then I can
really prove that I was capable of getting much better marks so it was an opportunity
to uh to turn things around.
And you were.. you know proving something to yourself..
Yeah definitely
So uh what are some of the additional benefits of coming to HCC you talked about a quality
programming and affordability.. anything else that you'd like to add
Well the-the-the teachers, the faculty here are-are the teachers are excellent.. and the
people that teach here I can tell really care about what they're teaching and they also
care about their students and the community. And I just think having that positive energy
really makes a big difference.. and the other thing that I found out and I didn't really
necessarily anticipate, that I appreciated so much while I was here.. but after going
to a four year university I realized that the small class sizes here at uh HCC really
help out because you have a lot more interaction with the uh professor and you can also interact
with the students in the class and sort of get that synergy of-of-ofo energy and-and
brainstorming going on. Where it kinda takes the.. the class to the next level.
Right.
And makes everything more real, more lively
Mmhmm you're challenging each other in that kind of environment.. yeah big classrooms
can sometimes get lost in that and you sit in the back and hope no one calls on you..
but a small classroom the uh really creative faculty member.. uh it's just a whole new
experience.
Yeah definitely..
So how did HCC prepare you to continue your education?
Well it was great I had a lot of support here um through the faculty and also through the
administration as far as making sure that um I was applying to different schools and
seeking different programs that would be applicable to my interests. Um I um I ended up applying
to Georgia Tech, uh College Park, UMBC, and Johns Hopkins University.. and I was accepted
to all schools.
Wow, that's impressive
Um also I was given scholarships uh at College Park I was given full-full scholarship, uh
at UMBC I was offered a full scholarship in the Meyer Hoff program
Great program
And that was actually a program I had to- I had applied to out of high school and I
was denied the scholarship.. and then I was-I was offered acceptance into Georgia Tech and
then um and Johns Hopkins University. And Johns Hopkins actually were.. was providing
me with about 50% tuition support. So a lot of uh a lot of financial help was coming out
of the process also.
So that says something certainly about you and your skills but also a thing about having
a degree from Howard Community College. That it really established that pathway for you
to go onto other schools and um transfer credits um to your next school.
Yeah that's exactly right
But you selected Hopkins right?
Yes, yeah..
And uh why did you select Hopkins?
Well I uh that was another hard decision.. because here we are still-still young and
a life with our future ahead of us and uh I was really bouncing uh a couple issues..
one-one thing was I-I wanted to.. to go to a good school with a good reputation; and
Johns Hopkins has a pretty good reputation, also it was close to home um.. because my
family is here in Columbia.. and.. and it was sort of difficult because College Park
was offering a full scholarship.. that was also close to home so that was the tricky
part of it for me. But uh but I wend with Johns Hopkins and I think it was uh a good
decision for me in the long run. After getting my bachelors degree I.. I sort of uh um I
sort of went ahead and stayed for-for graduate school uh kind of by accident. Right because
you know at that point in life you're-you're finishing up with school.. you're-you're eager
to go out in the work force and uh and I had.. I had found out that I was missing one-one
credit for like uh a chemistry lab.. that sort of slipped through the cracks.. and I
needed to complete that class before I could get my uh my bachelors degree. Uh so I go
to register for the class, it's still early in the semester, but unfortunately that chemistry
lab isn't offered that semester.. it's not offered until the very next semester. And
that completely throws off my whole plans of graduating for the-for that.. that in-in
that semester, in that year. So I decided let me uh go ahead and take the class next
semester um which is gonna push my graduation date to the next year.. and while I'm- while
I'm here, while I'm taking that one class.. why not just start taking graduate classes..
because what's the point of going to the school for one class. So I started taking all my
graduate computer science classes that semester, and then continued for another year and then
went on to get the uh the graduate degree.. the..
So Bachelors and Masters from Hopkins..
Yes Masters degree.. yeah
And a degree from HCC
Yes
Very impressive credential
Yes..yes
Good for you
So would you recommend HCC to uh prospective students?
Yes I would definitely recommend HCC, I think it's a very smart decision, smart route to
take in specially in this day and age with uh college expense-expenses rising. So drastically
Mmhmm.. right
Cause I was- I was here in 2001, 2003 and I know that the tuition.. the tuition has
been rising uh since then so I think even-even more so in this time and, time and day.. it
makes it makes.. it makes a smart decision. Um and then also because of the great faculty,
the rouse scholars program you have a great community of people here at the school so
I would definitely recommend it to all the youngsters that are deciding on the next step.
So you think investing in a college education changed your life and it's good value?
Oh definitely. I know some people kind of debate between uh should they possibly go
into the work force at a high school or should they go to college. And for me going to college
was- was important because the it's really the experience you get that gives you uh a
sense of confidence about what you're doing.. and it also gives you a well rounded uh it-it
it rounds your capabilities pretty well um for me I'm in computer science.. so we do
a lot of math, we do a lot of engineering and a lot with computers.. but it turns out
that that communications, the writing, the research and-and the uh ability to speak clearly
all really come together when-when you're when you're doing your job, when you're in
your career and you're at the higher level. All those facets of .. of your-of your skill
set need to come together to be effective.. and that's what the college experience has
given me.
Mmmhmm well that's that's a great story and I do appreciate you coming in today and sharing
your story with me and all the folks that are listening, so thank you so much.
It's been great, thank you.
Well that wraps up this edition of In Focus, thanks for watching and I'll see you next
time.
I was kind of intimidated at first
But to my surprise I found a group of people
Who are passionate about learning and doing well
And it's been awesome
So I was kind of lost on what to do, where to go, how to pursue my path in my career.
So I hear about the Rouse program and I was thinking you know it's just a program for
a whole bunch of smart students and you have to do this and it's very like structured and
all.. but once I got into the program it turned out to be really good.
Going to a two year institution is really a great idea because it helps you with those
core courses that you have to take anywhere, and Rouse provides you with a little extra
because it gives you a little bit more challenging courses.. we have the honors courses.. and
then it provides that one on one with instructors as well as advisors that really help make
sure you transfer what you wanna transfer so I definitely recommend it for that.
Especially during the first year they really focus on where you want to go and also what
you wanna pursue
And then you figure out career wise.. so in the spring you're able to get a mentorship
Yeah I went to Howard County General and I shadowed a Physicians Assistant, and I came
in a little undecided knowing I wanted to help people, I thought about nursing.. then
I said you know what I think I can do.. I can do Doctor.. and I just.. it felt good
saying it.
I was expecting, honestly, I was expecting tons of Einstein's.. but I was like wait..
everyone else is kind of like me.
It makes you by.. like I said you start school you have a huge group of friends that-that
you think 50 kids is not a lot but you see them everywhere.. you see them at the library
and-and because we're Rouse classes that are specific for us students you already get into
classes with kids you know.. so uh you're always.. you always have friends.. I mean
you cant be alone you know ... it's awesome
And uh we do all this cool stuff like go on this retreat and uh broadway.. I went zip
lining, people went paint balling.. some people went out to go play field sports.. um there's
a really epic game of water basketball that I participated in and it was awesome.
To be honest now I thought it was gonna be a very academic, driven honors program. I
was kind of intimidated at first about it. But it doesn't just go by, getting the good
grades.. also being involved with the community and it helped me realize that there is more
then just getting a job out of college. It's an opportunity to extend helping hands to
the community.
I did study abroad this summer.. and I went to Turkey for 2 and a half weeks. It was really
cool to see the culture shock.. it was relaly cool to see uh my fellow classmates how they
reacted to a lot of the culture there that I'm already used to but they weren't. So it
was kind of cool to see their reaction compared to America and that also really helped me
grow as a person as well. I mean it's definitely a life changing experience.
Something as simple as sitting in a pub or riding in a taxi with somebody really could
change your perspective that you had on the world or in your national politics.
With Rouse I was surrounded by people of different faith, people of different backgrounds and
different um beliefs.
I never would have guessed that different cultures would be that diverse from myself
and you have to really get in there to really realize it.
I just wanna say that I already think that Rouse is a really great program.. definitely
exceeded my expectations. Everyones been having so much fun.
The connections that I was able to keep with my professors and my fellow students even
after I left Howard Community College has really been valuable to make and the Rouse
staff has really been there for us.
The opportunities that they offer you, the platform that they put you on for you to then
reach the rest of your life goals is.. second to none.
I would suggest if you're thinking about joining Rouse.. I would say that if you're doubting
yourself at all as an individual.. or intellectually career wise.. if you're just a little lost
but you have that passion for learning.. you want that passion for learning, Rouse will
be the perfect program to join.