Jessica Mason '15: Staying Accountable

by Mattia Ciulino

Jessica Mason ’15 has a handle on her career following her graduation in May 2015. After earning an M.B.A. in Management with a specialization in accounting, she will begin her employment at Grant Thornton LLP in October 2015 as an audit associate in its Melville office.

Mason obtained her undergraduate degree in accounting from Farmingdale State College SUNY in 2014, and soon after conducted an intense search to find the best graduate M.B.A. program on Long Island. The result landed her at Adelphi for its On-Campus Recruitment Program, organized by Elaine Boylan of the Center for Career Development.

“Accounting firms offer first-year or internship positions for students,” Mason said, explaining that the recruitment program then gives students an outlet to apply to positions at firms of their choice.

Mason was selected for interviews with 10 of the 11 companies she applied to, and then went through a series of second interviews. Her diligence and study resulted in the ability to choose from multiple options on the table, but one seemed clear.

“I was chosen for a second interview in the [Grant Thornton] office,” she said. “Once I was there, one of the employees gave me a tour of the building to see the company’s culture, how everything works, where I will be working and other technical details to see if I could fit into such an environment,” she said, and indeed she does.

“I came to Adelphi to eventually get a job,” she said. She explained she had the same GPA, the same internships and, seemingly, the same experience while attending other institutions. “I didn’t have the backing that Adelphi offered,” she continued. “Once I came here and I had Adelphi on my résumé, they all offered me opportunities.”