TravisWolff welcomes two students from Texas State University

DALLAS and SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 18, 2010 – Two students from Texas State University in San Marcos benefitted from using their school’s career services and took advantage of an opportunity at TravisWolff.

Ashton Meyer and Samantha Warren recently job shadowed with TravisWolff’s tax and audit departments.

Meyer, who will graduate in May 2012 with a master’s degree in accounting, spent her time getting familiar with the Dallas office.

“I really like looking at numbers, analyzing them and where they came from, and why they are what they are,” said Meyer when explaining why she became interested in accounting.

When Meyer learned about TravisWolff through Texas State’s career services she immediately e-mailed the school’s accounting department for more information. She was excited to learn about both sides of accounting so she shadowed one day in tax and one day in audit.

“I like the idea of going out and meeting clients,” said Meyer. “It’s been great getting to see everything tax deals with – estates, divorce, personal tax, and entrepreneurs; it will make it a hard decision [to decide whether to specialize in audit or tax].”

Jill Rhodes, Meyer’s advisor, spent time with her in the morning of her first day going over the typical processes and procedures of a tax accountant.

Rhodes thinks the process benefitted Meyer because it showed her what a job in public accounting will be like upon graduating.

“Instead of an hour-long interview most interns go through, she got to see a ‘whole picture’ aspect … and meet several of us from staff to partner level,” said Rhodes. “I see that as a much better scenario for any future employee.”

Christina Gonzalez also worked with Meyer during her first day. She explained that Meyer worked in one-hour increments with everyone in the firm’s Individuals Group.

“I showed her the Roth model, which is a really big part of our company,” said Gonzalez. “So she saw that we do not only do tax returns but we also do a lot more to benefit our clients and to preserve their wealth.”

After her visit Meyer said, “Tax has a stereotype of everyone sitting behind a desk; everyone here [at TravisWolff] is really social.”

“I think it gave her a direct taste of what it’s like to work here,” said Gonzalez.

Warren, who will graduate in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, spent two days in the San Antonio office.

Stacy Conrad, Warren’s advisor, worked with her for two days in audit.

“Samantha was very inquisitive and was a quick study during our audit discussions,” said Conrad.

Warren’s mother is a tax professional so she chose to shadow an auditor to obtain a different perspective of accounting, explained Conrad.

“Going out to clients and learning about what they do and all the components that go into it has been one of my favorite parts of the job shadowing experience,” said Warren.

Warren indicated that she enjoyed the experience and learned about several audit areas that had not been covered in detail during class.

“It’s been great getting actual office experience – working on reports and learning about real-life accounting,” said Warren.

Conrad believes the shadowing program is also beneficial to the firm as a recruiting tool. “It allows us to identify ‘the best and brightest’ recruits while they are early in their schooling process.”
 

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About TravisWolff
TravisWolff is an independent accounting and advisory firm that offers a full range of assurance, tax and consulting services to large, formal business enterprises; entrepreneurial/owner-operated businesses; and successful individuals. Its industry specializations include construction, energy/oil and gas, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, non-profit, professional services, real estate, restaurant/retail/hospitality and technology. Additionally, TravisWolff provides specialized services in the areas of business valuation, compensation and benefits planning, IT auditing (SAS 70), collaborative divorce consulting, employee benefit plan audits, estate planning, litigation services and forensic accounting.

With more than 120 employees, TravisWolff has offices in Dallas and San Antonio and serves clients throughout Texas, along with their subsidiaries, operating companies and manufacturing facilities throughout the country and offshore. As a member of the Moore Stephens association, TravisWolff extends its services to the global market. TravisWolff is a registered firm with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).