Her Story
About Esther
I started my career with a double major in accounting and computer information systems with a concentration in cybersecurity because I wanted to go into forensic accounting. I even considered law initially when I was doing economics, but I walked into my first accounting class and I fell in love - it just made more sense to me than economics. I ended up going to grad school at Bentley for analytics, and while there I was working in the trading room, which is very popular, and that's where I found my love for asset management. When I started interviewing with the big fours like Deloitte, where I ended up, I moved into wealth and asset management working as an auditor. I always wanted to have a little bit of background before going straight into forensics, but now that I'm in audit, I kind of love it here. I don't know if I'll move over to forensics, but I do love working with hedge funds and private equity, learning more about how money moves and how people that are making money in the world use their money. My typical day involves managing a group of staff and seniors, checking in on them, collating open items for clients, responding to questions from my team and managers, reviewing work completed by staff, and preparing for client meetings. The work doesn't end when I go home - I continue working until I reach a stopping point. What keeps me going is finding pockets of joy in other activities at work, like being on the event committee that helps with sponsored events, such as our recent work with the Wonder Fund where we packed period kits for girls. I'm also active in the Black Professionals Network in my office.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Esther
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and the mindset that there's really no such thing as failure, it's just a try. Taking the CPA exams taught me this - it taught me to be persistent, and that just because something sounds like failure, it's actually you trying, while maybe other people are not, or maybe other people don't have the opportunity to try. I remember when I was in college, I didn't have enough money to actually take the exams, but now that I'm in a position where I have the money and I'm able to take those exams, what matters is persistence. That has really built the backbone of my career, because I don't really know what no means. It just sounds more like, maybe not right now, or maybe not this route. My CPA exams have been foundational in shaping my journey and teaching me to keep going no matter what obstacles I face.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
While I was interning at Cummings, my project manager told me, 'Esther, you just have to keep going and building the foundation so that you don't have to work as hard in the future.' I think that internship is part of the reason why I'm where I am right now. That advice of you're basically laying a foundation for your future has been the best advice that I've ever gotten. Just seeing it that your today is laying the foundation for your tomorrow - that perspective has guided my entire career approach and helped me understand that the hard work I put in now is an investment in making my future easier.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Community and connection are incredibly important to me. I genuinely believe that in order to have a community, you have to be a villager. That's why I make it a priority to have one meetup a month with my friends just to catch up and make sure that everyone is doing well. I'm very big on family time and friends' time. I also try to live my life as an expression and an example of excellence. Beyond getting recognition or having a well-known organization behind me, what matters most to me is inspiring other people and showing them that if Esther can do it, they can do it too. I find pockets of joy by staying involved in community activities at work, whether that's through the event committee or the Black Professionals Network, because I don't want to just focus on work - I want to stay connected to community. Church is also something that gives me joy and grounds me in my values.
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