Q&A with January Scholarship Winner Brenda Lumbreras Sanchez
We’re excited to announce the January winner of the Wiley Accounting and Finance Student Scholarship: Brenda Lumbreras Sanchez from the University of Dayton. Brenda is a first-generation college student – in 2023, she will be the first in her family to earn a Bachelor’s degree! We recently held a brief Q&A session with Brenda to learn more about her and her future accounting career goals.
Q: We’d love to learn a little bit more about you. Can you tell us more about yourself, like where you’re from, any hobbies you have, what you like doing when you’re not in school?
I am from Columbus, OH, but I was born in Mexico. I found my love for playing tennis my sophomore year of high school. My senior year I was the captain of my tennis team and won an award for being one of the top three players in the city of Columbus. When I’m not in school I love to hang out with my friends from my Co-ed Fraternity, Alpha Psi Lambda.
Q: How did you hear about the Wiley student scholarship?
I heard about the Wiley student scholarship through emails that I received from Wiley. My university uses Wiley, so I assume that’s where they got my email. And I just kept an eye out for the month that I qualified.
Q: How will the scholarship award help you?
The scholarship award will help me by using it towards my college expenses. I work a lot outside of the school year to save up for college expenses so this will definitely help lessen the burden.
Q: What made you choose to study accounting?
I declared accounting at the end of my freshmen year through the help of some faculty, advisors, and friends. I was having trouble choosing a career field that I enjoyed. I did a lot of research and took a lot of career assessments. Everything I did pointed me to accounting. Accounting isn’t fun for many, but I enjoy it. I knew I wanted to go into accounting when I took an introductory course in accounting. Something about learning how a business works, where the money is going, and coming from intrigued me.
Q: What do you like most about accounting?
As I mentioned earlier, I love learning about companies and how they manage their money to continue having a business. With accounting, you get the whole picture of how a company, restaurant, firm, factory, etc. functions.
Q: What words of advice would you give to other college/grad students who are pursuing a career in accounting?
I would say to never give up. I went through some challenging courses that made me question being an accounting major. Sitting in class I wondered how the topics all came together to work out in the real world. Getting an internship taught me that the material we learn in class is useful. Those challenging classes help you grow. In my internship, I used material that I learned in class. Material that I never thought I would use again.
Q: What are your future career goals/aspirations? What does your dream career look like?
My future career goals include being a partner at an accounting firm. I would like to become efficient in accounting rules and guidelines so I can oversee my own team of accountants. If they have any questions, I’ll be there to help.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Despite wanting to become a partner at a firm, I would also like to build something of my own. Whether that’s having my own accounting business or getting into the real estate industry. I would like to eventually have my own business so I can build something that’s my own. This way I have a greater
chance of giving back to my mother for all her hard work and sacrifices to get me to where I currently am.
Q: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Never be afraid to ask for help. Advisor, faculty, friends, supervisors, etc. are there to provide the help that you need. Don’t let fear get in the way of your success.
Don’t Miss Your Chance to Win a $1,000 Scholarship
A $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a new student every month, so check out our Monthly Scholarship Schedule to see which months you should apply for!