Catherine Banks
EY
Seattle, WA USA
"I've found that it is important to always stay curious and constantly seek out new knowledge."
Career Roadmap
Catherine's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Stephen Decatur High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Director, EY Foundation&Academic Resource Center:
Bachelor's Degree: Accounting
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Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I decided to try an accounting class in high school and really enjoyed it. I thought this might be a career to explore.
2.
When applying for college, I was fortunate to receive a lot of scholarships, but none that would cover my financial need so I changed my plans to attend a community college.
3.
I transferred into the University of Illinois after community college and was lucky to learn much more about the extensive number of career options for accounting. I started building my network.
4.
I was able to start my career in audit at EY straight out of college and spent 12 years doing this exciting work. This led me to becoming involved with our hiring and interaction with universities.
5.
Because of my background as an auditor and with interest in education and recruiting, I was able to lead recruiting efforts for the firm regionally and became involved with academics.
6.
I became involved with the EY Foundation and led efforts to develop free resources for the academic community on leading-edge issues impacting the accounting and auditing profession.
7.
I began supporting the finance and program operations of the EY Foundation, learning more about non-profits and leveraging my accounting and auditing background.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
This is a very demanding career path and it would be challenging to successfully have a career and a family.
How I responded:
The demands in my career have easily been offset by the flexibility I've obtained to allow me to thrive in having both a great career and a wonderful family. I'm more inspired than ever to be my best self juggling the many roles of life that I have chosen-CPA, Wife, Mother, Friend and more. My career has provided me with the best support network to continue to evolve and grow and I'm so glad that I didn't shy away from my potential based on fear or concern projected by others.