Wendy Lewis
KPMG
New York, NY USA
"It’s always a challenge to know that you’re prepared, to know that you deserve something, and still not get it...You can let that bump in the road define you or you can let it make you stronger."
Career Roadmap
Wendy's work combines: Business, Numbers, and Accomplishing Goals
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
Virginia Union University
Certification
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in a small town as the only child of teenage parents, but I always had the ambition to get out of my small town and experience more of the big city life.
2.
I knew I wanted to go to college, I just didn’t know what I wanted my major to be.
3.
To be safe, I decided I was going to major in business administration—during my sophomore year in high school, I took an accounting class and loved it.
4.
Attended the HBCU Virginia Union University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in accounting.
5.
My accounting advisor was Dr. Ruth Harris, the first black woman in Virginia to pass her CPA exam—she mentored me and helped grow my interest in accounting.
6.
While still in college, I took my certified public accountant (CPA) exams and began interning in the field to perfect my resume.
7.
Got my first job working at KPMG—my initial goal was to only stay for two years to get experience, but I kept sticking around, earning more and more promotions.
8.
I have now worked at the firm for over 21 years and am now a partner in KPMG’s commercial audit practice.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'm going to leave. I need to do something different.
How I responded:
Early in my career, I was told I would become the lead manager if I did a good job on a particular audit engagement. I did a good job, but was still passed up for the promotion. I was disappointed and was seriously considering leaving. I decided to instead use this as an opportunity to prove that I actually was capable and deserving of that promotion. It's always a challenge when you know you are prepared and deserve something, but still don't get it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My parents were high school sweethearts and had me when they were teenagers. We didn't have a lot of money and lived in a small town. Luckily, they instilled in me the idea that I could do whatever I set my mind to which helped me focus my ambition.
When I first started out, I felt like I didn't fit in at my firm because it was largely white male-dominated. Being a woman and a minority, I doubted if I had made the right decision. I used that as my motivation and championed others from HBCUs.
It was a challenge going from a small town, to a small college, to a large firm. I wondered if I would be prepared. The first couple of years were challenging and I felt like I constantly had to do more than my peers especially as a black woman.