Matti Huckestein
Accounting –
University of Dayton
I knew since my sophomore year of high school where I wanted to go to college. After visiting my brother, I knew there was no other school I wanted to go to more than the University of Dayton. Once my application was sent I waited anxiously for months to see if I would get in. After the excitement of being accepted, I started thinking about what major I would choose. Once I had given it a lot of thought, I decided accounting was going to be the major I declared.
School was going well; I was enjoying my business and accounting classes. I felt relieved that I seemed to have chosen the right major to study. Then the end of my junior year came, and I was faced with reality. I needed to get an internship for the summer between my senior and 5th year senior year to gain experience for my future career. After looking into various accounting firms, I was faced with another hard decision, which company was the one for me?
I researched and applied to a few firms. After my interviews, I knew one firm appealed to me more than the others. At GYF I was asked the typical questions one might expect in an interview, but the firm also seemed interested in getting to know me on a more personal level.
I hoped to receive an internship offer from GYF, because it felt like the kind of company where I would enjoy working as well as gain valuable experience.
After receiving this opportunity to intern with GYF for the summer, I am so grateful for this experience. When the start of my internship rolled around, I was excited, nervous, and not exactly sure what to expect. However, after the first day I felt so much more comfortable. GYF put the interns through training to make sure we were prepared to work with clients. This training gave me confidence for my first engagement, and with the tremendous help of my coworkers, I was able to handle the tasks assigned to me.
It felt great to accomplish the same work as a first year staff accountant. Once I worked on a few more engagements I was finally feeling comfortable with the work. I have learned so much more from this internship than I ever did sitting in my accounting classes. I got to work with different teams of employees, who were all supportive. Each professional had varying skill levels and knowledge of the field which helped me learn more and gain valuable experience. GYF also arranged several fun outings throughout the summer that helped us get to know the other staff better outside of the office.
Prior to my internship I was not very familiar with the auditing portion of public accounting, but gained so much experience thanks to the help of GYF. I have learned so much this past summer and realized how much I enjoy the auditing function of public accounting. I am so thankful for the opportunities I have been given this summer and will carry the knowledge I gained into my future career.
