Senior Susan Guo has found numerous opportunities at UGA. She is in J.M. Tull School of Accounting’s five-year M.Acc., which allows her to finish her B.B.A. in accounting and simultaneously work on her Master of Accountancy. Through the Leonard Leadership Scholars Program, Susan is working with five fellow Leonard Scholars in providing business consulting services to the East Athens Development Corporation. She received a $5,000 Financial Services Roundtable Scholarship in Honor of James H. Blanchard for the 2008-2009 year. The scholarship was established by Financial Services Roundtable and honors UGA alum James H. Blanchard who is retired chairman of the board and CEO of Synovus Financial Corporation. As part of the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Susan conducted research in domestic terrorism with a concentration in Sri Lanka. After graduation, she will be getting married. She also plans to get her Certified Public Accountant certification and begin her career in Atlanta with a public accounting firm.
Hometown:
Tifton, Ga
High School:
Tift County High School
Degree objective:
Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting
Expected graduation:
Spring 2009
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
UGA has allowed me to develop professionally and personally by providing opportunities for me to explore my wide range of interests. I researched domestic terrorism in Sri Lanka during my freshman and sophomore years as a CURO apprentice. I served the CURO program as a teaching assistant my junior year. My time as a Leonard Leadership Scholar has allowed me to meet and talk with many business executives and develop key leadership skills. I currently serve as vice president of programs of Beta Alpha Psi accounting honors society and am a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. I just completed an internship with Dixon Hughes where I was able to work with tax compliance and tax consulting for both corporations and partnerships. I have also earned the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship and the Henry King Stanford Scholarship. A few other UGA highlights include my time singing in the University Chorus, performing in the musicals, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Bye Bye Birdie” and studying abroad in Greece. UGA has been the perfect university to develop myself into a well-rounded individual!
I chose to attend UGA because…
…of all the opportunities! I knew UGA would allow me to explore all of my interests. This school is perfect for me because I thrive on being busy and there are so many things I want to do here! Of course, football season is amazing! I love the excitement of the games and the energy from the cheering fans. And yes, the scholarships I received were helpful in my decision making process.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
Five of my favorite things are sitting in the Founder’s garden, walking around North campus in the fall, eating in the dining halls (I really miss being on the meal plan!), playing Frisbee at the intramural fields and going to football games!
When I have free time, I like…
…to go to aerobics classes, play with my adorable puppy, spend time with friends, goof off with my fiancé and watch musicals.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…hike around an active volcano on Santorini, Greece during my study abroad trip. The tour guide even let us stick our hands in one of the smaller openings of the volcano so we could feel the heat from the lava!
My favorite place to study is…
…the first floor of the main library near the windows. I really enjoy being able to see the beautiful day outside. The library also has a quiet atmosphere and being around other hard-working students encourages me to also work hard.
My favorite professor is…
…Andy Call. He was my Intermediate Accounting II professor. I loved the enthusiasm with which he taught! Dr. Call technically and conceptually explained everything with extreme clarity. Not only is he an extremely thorough teacher, he cares about his students and takes the time to chat with students outside of class. Dr. Call and his wife even came to my performance in the musical “Bye Bye Birdie!”
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Howard Schulz, CEO of Starbucks. He is an amazing businessman and speaking with him would be an incredible learning experience about how to become an effective business leader. I love the way he has effectively integrated business profitability and corporate social responsibility into a delicious product!
After graduation, I plan to…
…get married to Jake Richardson on August 1! Then, I will remain at UGA to complete my master in accountancy degree with a specialization in taxation. I will also be taking the C.P.A. exam, and I hope to pass all four parts before I begin working full-time.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…my four hour exams! Almost all of my accounting exams have been around four hours long. I will never forget my countless hours of studying in preparation for these extremely long exams!
