Catherine Chrisafis, First-Year M.B.A. Student

By Kate Cartagena

Catherine Chrisafis is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Business Administration program with a concentration in accounting. For two years of her undergraduate study at Adelphi, Catherine was enrolled in the Scholar Teacher Education Program (S.T.E.P.), planning to become a math teacher. Accounting was always on her mind. “When I was in high school, one of my teachers said, ‘You’re going to be an accountant one day,’ and as a student in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Associate Dean Ganesh Pandit, who was my professor at the time, said the same thing,” Catherine commented. “I replied to him, ‘Yeah, I don’t know about that.’ But here I am, and I love accounting.”

It was a huge step for Catherine to shift her focus to business, but it was a step she recommends for anyone struggling with the decision of what program to pursue. “There are so many options out there [in business] that I never knew existed,” she said. Specializing in accounting, Catherine took advantage of all the knowledge she gained in her business classes, “I love learning everything about business.”

As a graduate student, Catherine was able to compete in the fourth Margolin, Winer & Evens Long Island College Accounting Challenge on November 2, 2011. “Adelphi prepared me [for The Accounting Challenge],” Catherine noted. Adelphi University placed second, but Catherine was elated to represent the Willumstad School of Business. “[The Accounting Challenge] took everything I knew and reaffirmed that it mattered,” Catherine said.

After she finishes her master’s degree, Catherine plans to take the Certified Public Accountant exam. She hopes to utilize the Accounting Recruitment Program at the Center for Career Development to help her find a job. Through this program, Adelphi brings firms to campus to recruit for open positions they might have available. Catherine is confident that Adelphi has prepared her for a successful career in accounting.