Story
Growing up, I hated math. It was my least favorite subject in school. I originally wanted to be a midwife and deliver babies in Africa, but realized that job would limit my ability to travel because I would need to stay in one place to help mothers give birth.
When I graduated high school, I was working at a coffee shop and had interviewed with a man named Frank Warner who owned a tax practice in Silverdale, Washington. I related to him because he also came from humble beginnings, yet he was able to build his own successful business. I asked him for an hour of his time because I wanted to know the secret to his success.
When we met for coffee to chat, his advice was simple: get an education.
In 2007, I graduated Olympic College with an associate of applied science in business degree while interning at Frank’s practice as a receptionist. He invited me to sit in on his meetings with clients, and eventually convinced me that I was ready to start preparing tax returns. That’s when my passion grew for business and accounting. I loved strategizing and saving people money on their taxes.
Taking Frank’s advice to heart, I continued with my schooling. In 2012, I graduated from DeVry University with my bachelor of science in business administration degree and moved to California where I worked as a tax accountant for a few years.
As a mother with three young children, I wanted to be closer to home, so I moved back to Washington in 2016 where I got a job as a tax compliance manager and tax associate for a law office. When I was in that role, I wanted to further my education and skills. In 2019, I became an Enrolled Agent which is an extremely difficult title to earn because it requires passing a series of tests which almost always need to be repeated. But I defied the odds – studying hard and passing on my first try.
After four years of working at the law office, I decided to ask for a $2/hour raise. At that point, I was making a lot of money for the firm – earning them $1 million profit a year on its tax practice.
When I gathered up the courage and asked for the raise, I was turned down for it. That’s when I realized how hard I was working to build somebody else’s empire. I had all the education I needed under my belt, as well as the experience, so I decided to start my own practice in 2020.
Initially, I was scared to start my own business. But I knew my worth, and I was able to build my practice into a success business that I would never have dreamed was possible when I was younger. In my first year of business, I was named the 2022 Best Bainbridge Accountant – earning the top spot over other local accountants who have been in the business for decades.
When I opened my own practice, I also never thought I would be able to use my profession to pursue my passion of making an impact on the world. But that opportunity soon came my way.
Impact
As I started my business and began to earn more beauty titles, my charity work began to really expand nationally and globally. When I became more involved in these organizations around the world, I noticed that many of them needed volunteers internally on their boards – particularly volunteers who were comfortable and knowledgeable in the financial space to help with everything from the books to their larger financial operations. I saw an opportunity to combine my education and day job with my larger passion for helping these charities and organizations further their missions.
In 2021, I was named chief financial officer of Global Dignity and in 2022, I became treasurer of Central Park Angels. These two organizations speak to my heart, and both have missions that I truly believe in. For Central Park Angels, I love the idea of giving women access to education and the opportunity to be their own business owner which gives them a sense of pride.
With Global Dignity, I was really touched by its approach of spreading and promoting kindness around the world through big and small gestures – and especially, its mission to teach young people the importance of dignity and respect at an early age. It is such a brilliant way to eliminate bullying, and helps people have better relationships with their friends, families, and communities. I love how it has a presence in 80 countries, because that really shows it’s making a global impact.
When I provide my pro bono services to these organizations, it means that their money can go towards their missions instead of my pocket. If Central Park Angels is saving $1,000 on one of my services, it means that money can feed half a million people for roughly six months. My pro bono services mean donations can go further, and at the same time, these organizations can have peace of mind knowing their financial operations are being done correctly and professionally.