CSB senior balances love of accounting and music

Perhaps the most valuable tool Anna Streed has relied on during her time at the College of Saint Benedict has been her Outlook calendar.

That's the way the senior accounting major has been able to keep track of everything on her extremely busy schedule.

"It's definitely taken some discipline," said Streed, a Brainerd High School graduate. "Having a calendar system in place has been so important to making sure I don't overcommit myself.

"But it's not that difficult to balance it all when they're things you truly love."

Streed is indeed passionate about both accounting and music - her minor. She's already completed three internships with prominent accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen - two at the company's Brainerd office each of the past two summers and one in its Waite Park office during tax season in 2023.

She already has a full-time job at the firm lined up after graduation this May.

"That's been such a huge relief," said Streed, whose father Scott is a 1987 Saint John's University graduate. "I actually got the full-time offer the summer after my sophomore year and that's eliminated so much stress and worry knowing I already have an amazing place to work after graduation."

Streed has also served as a lead student worker in the music department and has played saxophone in the CSB and SJU Wind Ensemble in each of her four years on campus - including as principal saxophone the past three years.

"I've always been amazed at how much Anna has been skillfully able to juggle," said Boz Bostrom, a professor of accounting and finance at CSB and SJU and Streed's academic advisor. "Many semesters, she's taken eight different courses - between accounting, music and the integrations curriculum. She takes her studies very seriously and has made time management a priority.

"In addition to taking part of the CPA exam this semester, she has been engaged in rigorous research as part of an Accounting Capstone project. The effort she puts into ensuring that her materials and presentation style are top-notch is admirable. When I think of students who have been all-in on Saint Ben's and maximized the opportunities our colleges present, Anna is at the top of that list. She's been very thoughtful about how to maximize her time here. I look forward to watching what great things she goes on to accomplish as an alumna."

Though hitting the right musical notes and crunching numbers in accounting might seem like separate skillsets, Streed said she's found common ground between the two.

"You don't think of music as being analytical or numbers-based at all, but it requires a lot of discipline and analysis when it comes to how you play with each other. There's a process to making sure the whole ensemble is doing the same articulations, or the same sort of dynamic changes. I feel like that discipline and practice translates over to accounting as well."

Streed said she appreciates being at a school that allows her the opportunity to fully immerse herself in as much as she has.

"Being in a liberal arts environment really encourages you to try different things and there's so much support here," she said. "It's really a community. So many people attend games, concerts or showcases because their friends or roommates are performing, and they want to cheer them on. That's great to see."

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