Kim Tran '23 | Accounting and Criminal Justice major
Being a first-generation college student motivates me to work twice as hard to give back to not only my parents, but my community as well.
Accounting and Criminal Justice major Kim Tran ’23 accomplished so much during her time on the Hilltop. All while maintaining a busy schedule, the first-generation student founded the Saint Anselm College Women in Businessclub (and served as president), volunteered in the local community, and completed several internships.
As a commuter and transfer student, Tran said the Women in Business club really helped her make meaningful relationships on campus. The club, open to all students on campus, works with notable companies and firms to implement their ideas.
“Throughout my life, my parents made sacrifices to give me the opportunity to attend college, which is an opportunity they didn’t have at my age,” she said when asked about her experience as a first-generation student. “Being a first-generation college student [motivated] me to work twice as hard to give back to not only my parents, but my community as well.”
During her time at Saint Anselm, Tran was selected as one of 100 students across the country to attend the Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop (ASLW) & Accounting Pipeline Diversity Symposium Program (APDS) in Litchfield Park, Ariz. After attending the conference, Tran learned about the many doors a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license can open and participated in numerous diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seminars. These sessions included discussions of the importance of DEI from a managerial and employee standpoint. Hearing from minorities of all backgrounds about their journeys to obtaining a CPA license was inspiring.
“I was able to connect with the professionals at a deeper level by hearing their successes along with their failures as well,” said Tran. “[The conference] was a life-changing opportunity and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Before attending the conference, Tran had questions and concerns about minority diversity in the accounting field, but the event gave her the answers and confidence she needed to pursue a career in accounting. “After [the] event, there [was] no doubt in my mind that I [wanted] to pursue my accounting career and obtain my CPA license.”
In addition, Tran was selected to attend AT&T's first-ever AT&T B2B Sales Academy which included sales-related courses and emphasized personal development skills. She received her certification of completion after completing the course. After earning this certification, Tran hoped to obtain a Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE) license.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Tran was accepted into Saint Anselm’s Accelerated 4+1 Criminal Justice graduate program and earned a Master’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Today, she works as an audit associate for Grant Thornton.