Success with interest: Support adds up for accountancy grad
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Accounting is a passion for Jesus Osvaldo Martinez-Jimenez. While auditing and itemizing might make most people's head spin, digits dance in his brain at all hours like sugar plums on Christmas Eve.
"Right now in my internship I'm doing 1040 tax forms. I can still see the numbers when I get home. I'm just thinking about: What if I applied a certain principle or calculated them a different way?" he says.
That dedication is what earned the soon-to-be Western Michigan University accountancy alumnus a job offer months before graduation. Not long after he walks across the stage at Miller Auditorium during spring commencement on Saturday, April 26, he'll move to Indianapolis to start his career at CBIZ, one of the largest accounting providers in the nation.
"One of my goals before completing school was to get enough experience to get a job offer, because it takes a weight off your shoulders. And Western has so many resources—professors, career centers, advisors—to help make it happen," says Martinez-Jimenez, who has already racked up enough credits to take his CPA exam over the summer. "It's full steam ahead!"
Supportive programming
The first in his family to go to college, Martinez-Jimenez initially thought he might study engineering. Then someone recommended accountancy.
"They said accountants are the engineers of the business world. So this way, I could still tell my mom I was going to be an engineer," he laughs. "It just opens me up to so many opportunities. Everything in business revolves around accounting. Someone has to do the bookkeeping; someone has to go through audits of financial statements to make sure everything is done correctly. Someone has to do the taxes. It's something that is always needed."
Martinez-Jimenez also appreciated the professional development training offered in Haworth College of Business through the Student Professional Readiness Series (SPuRS) program, which prepares students for careers in business through co-curricular programming. By getting involved in the multitude of opportunities available to cultivate interpersonal skills, leadership attributes and professional competencies, Martinez-Jimenez built a network for success.
Support through Western's Navigator Network also helped him stay on course toward his goals when challenges arose.
"With navigation specialists, you can talk to them about anything: interview skills, how to get better grades and study tips, but also personal things. They're just there to listen," he says. "It's empowering knowing someone's in your corner."
Impactful experiences
Haworth College of Business' strong industry connections have given Martinez-Jimenez an avenue to put what he's learned in the classroom into practice. As a Greenleaf Trust Scholar, he received financial support and mentorship from the wealth management institution and is currently completing a yearlong internship with the company.
"It's been a really great journey," Martinez-Jimenez says.
In the rotational program, he's had the opportunity to get hands-on experience across multiple divisions including retirement planning, wealth management and personal trust, research and analysis, and business operations.
"My roles have allowed me to apply my classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios, enhancing my skills in financial analysis, client service and strategic planning," he says. "This internship has created a deepened understanding of financial management and estate planning, while my academic background provides a strong foundation in accounting principles. I am passionate about leveraging this knowledge to make a meaningful contribution to the finance and accounting fields."
A classmate also connected Martinez-Jimenez with an internship opportunity at Baiers & Associates, a local accounting firm, which has given him a chance to work on tax returns for clients—another layer of experience that helped him secure his full-time job after graduation.
"Having those connections that can recommend me in future jobs—those people who pushed me to do better and all the friends who supported me—I know Western is where I was meant to be," he says. "Western gave me all these opportunities, and I took them."
Giving back
Appreciative of the help he's gotten along the way, Martinez wants to pay it forward and help create more opportunities for fellow Broncos. He helped found a new registered student organization (RSO) at Western, the Hispanic Business Organization, to create networking opportunities and encourage more students to get engaged in all that campus has to offer.
"Our main goal is to get people involved both in the business college and in just finding their place on campus, maybe opening the door to joining another RSO, because it's just so beneficial," says Martinez, who has also been involved in the Accounting Club, Beta Alpha Psi and Latino Student Alliance during his time at Western. "All the activities I've been involved in have enriched my academic experience and expanded my professional network."
Martinez also hopes to be a role model within his own family and community, recognizing the generational impacts earning a college degree can have.
"Being the first is always the hardest, but I think I can finally be a resource to not just my siblings but to all my other family members who are thinking about going to college," he says. "We're smart enough; we have the work ethic. We can do it."
He's also motivated to sharpen the skills he's cultivated in his profession to eventually do some consulting work once he's established himself.
"There are plenty of people who want to start a business, but they don't have the knowledge. They don't know how to get a bank loan or about credit or where to get resources," he says. "I'd love to help people start their business and get that burden off of their shoulders. I want to see everybody prosper and do well."
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