Helen Lopez
EY
São Paulo, Brazil
"Take your career in your hands and make sure that you're willing to take on more challenging assignments."
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Helen's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Writing, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
La Inmaculada High School (Ecuador), Walt Whitman High School (Long Island)
Bachelor's Degree
Nassau Community College
Certification
CPA
AICPA
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
Hofstra University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an Accountants and Auditors:
Bachelor's Degree: transfer
Certification: CPA
Bachelor's Degree: Accounting
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I did an internship at EY the summer of my senior year in high school. It made me realize I wanted to do accounting and auditing. And it gave me exposure to a firm where I felt at home.
2.
I moved from the Audit group to Audit Methodology, which took me away from client-facing work and focused me on auditing standards. It was pivotal in that I realized I liked to help teams.
3.
My move to South America was tough – a new culture and language, and a role that didn't exist before. Three years later, it’s been the most amazing experience professionally and personally.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Accounting is a male-dominated industry especially in Latin America. I have years of professional experience and do well in my role. Yet, I’ve heard indirect critical comments, which is something that women may experience in this part of the world.
How I responded:
I seek to prove myself. I don't let the opinions of others bother me, but instead work harder and demonstrate that my gender doesn't make a difference.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My parents gave us everything they could, but they never went to college, so they didn’t know how to go about applying and other aspects higher education. I found mentors to help me out. Also, I worked all through college to pay for my education.