Deloitte Advises Students About Careers With the Consultancy

Accounting, Economics, Data Analytics and Soft Skills All Deemed Important

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thompson, [email protected], 301-860-4311

(BOWIE, Md.) - Students in the College of Business (COB) had the opportunity to network with Deloitte managers and learn about Making Accounting Diverse and Equitable (MADE), the corporation's commitment to generate more advisory, auditing, and tax career opportunities for the next generation of certified public accountants.

Introduced in 2021, MADE is a part of Deloitte's vision and effort to increase racial and ethnic diversity within the accounting field and help students of color see and realize their future in business through the lens of accounting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), African-Americans represent only 8.2% of the accountant and auditor workforce.

"Deloitte is trying to move the needle and increase the number of racial and ethnic professionals by focusing on driving awareness and the attractiveness of the profession," said Donnieka McCall, an audit and assurance senior manager at the corporation. "This is a part of MADE's $75 million commitment to help bring more Black, Latinx and other minority groups in the U.S. into the accounting field."

Included in the $75 million commitment is the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars program which partners with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to provide scholarships for high school seniors, undergraduates and masters' degree candidates.

"The focus of the meeting with Deloitte was to create an environment for students to connect and engage while improving their networking and interviewing skills," said Dr. Remi Duyile, the Collegeof Business coordinator of the career resource office. "Almost 200 students participated in the event which demonstrates the interest they have in learning more about accounting and what they need to do to compete for jobs after they graduate from Bowie State."

Marcus Campbell, a junior economics major from Washington, D.C., says he found the time he spent with Deloitte very beneficial in a number of ways.

"One of the things I learned is that Deloitte looks for soft skills such as how effectively a person communicates, solves problems and if you're innovative," he said. "What impresses me is the company's transparency and how it truly values the person. The representatives engaged with everyone based on their personalities and that goes a long way with me."

Tanesha Debnam Gibson, Marissa Massey-Smith, Nancin Gukas are all Bowie State alumnae now working for Deloitte. Debnam-Gibson graduated in 2001 with a degree in computer science and is now an IT consultant while Massey-Smith earned her communications degree in 2015 and serves as a talent recruiter. Gukas, a 2016 accounting major, is a risk and financial advisory manager for the consultancy.

"Bowie State prepared me and my colleagues for what we do today," said Gukas. "In addition to accounting and data analytics, I can't over emphasize the role soft skills play in my job such as knowing how to network, asking for a potential clients' business and just communicating in general which were all introduced to me while I was earning my degree.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.

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