LMU junior Amanda Farley is ready to make her mark as president of the Accounting Society. With classes moving online in the fall, Amanda is embracing the opportunity to redefine the normal structure of the Accounting Society and deliver virtual events that build community, develop professional skills and foster connections between students and firms.
A native of San Jose, Amanda says growing up in an ambitious environment like Silicon Valley and attending a competitive high school prepared her for challenging situations and pushed her to work even harder to be successful.
“My goals as president of the Accounting Society include building a community within the accounting major, organizing professional development events, attracting more students to the major, and showcasing the many career opportunities within accounting,” said Amanda, who previously served as secretary of the Accounting Society.
At LMU, Amanda is also involved in Campus Ministry, which includes leading The Well and her own Christian Life Community small group. She’s held an on-campus job with Malone Student Facilities for the past two years but is looking to become an accounting tutor in the fall given the online transition.
Amanda excels academically as well. She received the Accounting Alumni Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year and is on the Dean’s List for having a 3.98 cumulative GPA and 4.0 major GPA.
Looking back, Amanda says LMU was always her first choice. Her older sister attended LMU so she was able to experience many of the university’s great qualities through her.
“I wanted a smaller university with a strong sense of community, where you would see familiar faces around campus and where professors actually knew your name,” said Amanda. “And the location was everything I was looking for – I could hang out at the beach on the weekends with friends and also be in a big city with lots of professional opportunities.”
When it came time to choosing a major, Amanda knew she wanted to do something related to business. Math was her favorite subject and she enjoyed numbers, problem solving and critical thinking so accounting seemed like a good fit.
“I took my first accounting class, “Financial Accounting,” and knew I chose the right major,” said Amanda. “That class really challenged and intrigued me. Plus, my dad is an accountant and I knew the skillset that an accounting degree gives you would provide job security and numerous career opportunities.”
During her sophomore year, Amanda elected to pursue a dual-degree in Accounting and Applied Information Management Systems (now called Information Systems and Business Analytics).
“I chose a dual-degree as a way to achieve the 150-unit CPA requirement but also because I’m interested in technology and business analytics,” said Amanda. “Accounting is becoming more digitized and I knew it would give me an edge in the industry.”
Over the summer, Amanda was fortunate to attend virtual Summer Leadership Programs with each of the Big 4 public accounting firms. She signed a Summer 2021 Audit & Assurance internship offer with Deloitte in their Los Angeles office. After Amanda graduates from LMU in May 2022, she aspires to work in Deloitte’s Audit practice, potentially in the tech industry. She also plans on traveling to Europe with friends before taking the CPA exam.
“Being an accounting major at LMU truly sets you up for success,” said Amanda. “There are so many opportunities for students to jumpstart their careers. And the connections you make with the firms and professionals are so valuable. I’m excited about my future in accounting and eager to start my career.”
