Accounting Advisory Council

Accounting alumna finds acceptance and opportunity at Baker Tilly

Marianne Klinker — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 20:11:11 +0000

Accounting alumna finds acceptance and opportunity at Baker Tilly Marianne Klinker Thu, 02/01/2024 - 15:11

Shabinaaz Mahdi, BS Accounting ’12, discovered a passion for accounting at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at ��AV. While in school, she was introduced to Baker Tilly, a leading advisory tax and assurance firm, where she has risen through the ranks to become partner.

Fifteen years had passed since high school graduation when Shabinaaz Mahdi decided to return to her education at Mason. Her focus had been on raising her children and adjusting to life after immigrating to the United States from Sri Lanka. Taking night classes at Mason allowed her to keep her priorities in focus while exploring her burgeoning passion for accounting and the career paths where it could lead. After transferring from Northern Virginia Community College, she worked diligently at Mason in joining extracurricular groups, including the GMU Accounting Honors Program, Beta Gamma Sigma, Golden Key International Society, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Additionally, she was named to the Dean’s List in 2010 and 2011.

Shabinaaz Mahdi

The subject of accounting was attractive to Mahdi due to her love of mathematics. “I’m a numbers person, especially being an immigrant and English not being my first language, numbers are a universal language,” she says. It was never a struggle for her to study because she so thoroughly enjoyed the tax work and research. During those night classes, she bonded with her classmates and learned about what kinds of careers could be available for her. She learned even more about the field through an audit and tax internship. Soon after that, she attended a leadership conference and was introduced to Baker Tilly. “Seeing the potential for growth in a mid-sized firm, I applied for a full-time position and received an offer during my senior year, feeling incredibly fortunate to secure employment before graduation,” she says.

Mahdi credits the culture and people of Baker Tilly for her tremendous professional growth. After beginning as staff accountant in 2012, she began her rise through the ranks, finding her strengths and developing proficiency, leading to her recent promotion as partner at the firm. In her current role, she focuses on partnerships and corporations within the professional services industry, particularly law firms. She loves working with her clients, but she also loves working with her colleagues, collaborating with them, and soaking up all the knowledge that she can. Mahdi’s impressive success at Baker Tilly is not at all surprising to JK Aier, senior associate dean and associate professor of accounting at the Costello College of Business, who had her in his intermediate accounting class. “Right from day one, she was motivated to not only do well in the course but also work to understand the subject matter thoroughly by asking clarifying questions.”

As an immigrant, Mahdi had initially felt anxious about being accepted, but she quickly found that her colleagues embraced her. “The firm's inclusive culture has enabled me to find fulfillment in my work by allowing me to be my authentic self, free from pretense or peer pressure,” she says. “This culture of acceptance has fostered a sense of belonging which, in turn, has empowered me to perform at my best.” Baker Tilly promotes a healthy work/life balance for its employees by encouraging effective communication. “Communication is key to make sure you are prioritizing the things that are important to you,” she says. “I always have my Outlook calendar updated which truly helps manage both home and work.” Throughout the year, employees at Baker Tilly make a conscious effort to completely disconnect from work in order to recharge, reset, and relax. And in order to destress and wrap up the work week productively, they avoid scheduling meetings on Fridays.

When Mahdi first arrived in the United States, she only knew her husband and children. Going back to school began as a way to keep herself occupied, but it has since led to an accomplished and rewarding career and a vast network of positive relationships. “I strongly believe that if you give your best effort in everything you do and leave your quality mark on every work product that crosses your desk, work diligently and intelligently, remain open to continuous learning, and stay humble, recognizing that your knowledge is just a drop in the ocean, and, most importantly, enjoy the process, success will inevitably follow when the time is right,” she says. Mahdi has experienced great success following that mindset at Baker Tilly, where she is embraced and encouraged.

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Accounting students make the most of internship opportunities

Marianne Klinker — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:43:33 +0000

Accounting students make the most of internship opportunities Marianne Klinker Tue, 11/07/2023 - 10:43

With a wide array of options, accounting students at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at ��AV are able to choose the types of experiential learning that will best prepare them for their future careers.

Mina Al Hashimi, BS Accounting ’23, and Makayla Sorto, a senior studying accounting, took full advantage of internship opportunities that were offered through student organizations and courses. Kaleb Lewis is the director of career services at the Costello College of Business and the faculty instructor of the internship for academic credit course. “Internships provide the foundation for a successful career by allowing students to try out various tasks and get a feel for a company's workplace environment,” he says.

Mina Al Hashimi

After graduating this past May with her undergraduate in accounting, Mina Al Hashimi is looking forward to continuing on the track at Mason with the master of science in accounting (MSA). But rather than taking the time to rest between her degree programs, she made the most of her summer by joining Ernst & Young (EY) as a technology risk consulting intern. She was serving as the president of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) on campus, which is how she got connected with the EY recruiter. As an intern, she learned about the different accounting service lines and did walkthroughs with a client to make sure that the process was working correctly. “I realized I can do a lot more with accounting than just audit and tax,” she says. “I can go into consulting or corporate accounting or any pathway really.” She now has a better idea of the kind of accounting career path she wants to pursue but still has her eyes on the big four accounting firms.

Another big takeaway Al Hashimi took from the experience was how vital networking is to connecting with people and learning from them, something that she looks forward to continuing both in the classroom and in the office. “Mina's internship flourished thanks to her leadership abilities, outstanding academics, and enthusiastic can-do attitude,” says Peggy Tsirigotis, assistant area chair and instructor of accounting. “Her student journey emphasizes the importance of organizational skills and efficient time management for students, while also emphasizing the value of hands-on learning and active campus involvement.”

Makayla Sorto

Makayla Sorto is now in her senior year of studying accounting at the Costello College of Business. She had learned about the Embark Scholars program at KPMG and decided to apply. The Embark Internship is designed for accounting students from ethnic minority groups and consists of eight weeks rotating among the audit, tax, and advisory practices. Eligible interns are then able to select their area of interest for another internship the following summer at KPMG. Sorto and her team of six other interns completed projects ranging from researching clients to updating reports. “Going into this, I was so sure I was going to like tax, but throughout the whole rotation, I came out knowing that I want to do either advisory or audit,” she says. “It completely changed the whole trajectory of what I thought I was going to do because I had such a great time in audit.”

During the internship, Sorto was enrolled in ACCT 492, the Internship for Academic Credit course, offered through the Costello College of Business Office of Career Services. “ACCT 492 enhances a student's internship experience by providing assignments that allow the student to self-reflect on a number of career-related topics such as mentorship, receiving and giving feedback, and utilizing one's strengths in the workplace,” says Lewis. “In addition, one fundamental aspect of the course allows students to directly learn about their strengths and areas to improve through supervisor evaluations.” Through the internship, Sorto learned not only what really interested her but she also made many connections, especially with other Embark interns. One of her favorites experiences was presenting in front of executives at the firm’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

“Internships stand as highly effective experiential learning opportunities for accounting students,” says Long Chen, area chair and associate professor of accounting. “They bridge the gap between classroom and workplace, cultivating vital transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Furthermore, internships facilitate networking with accounting professionals and provide insights into industry best practices. We strongly encourage both undergraduate and graduate accounting students to pursue internships and enroll in dedicated courses—ACCT 492 and ACCT 695—laying the groundwork for their future success in the field.” By extending their education to outside of the classroom, Al Hashimi and Sorto both gained a better understanding of what they want to do in their respective careers. The internship experiences allowed them to practice what they have been taught while focusing their continued learning on the areas that truly pique their interests.

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