By Arial Starks
Gabrielle Gilkison graduated from Centre College in the spring of 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance, and Spanish. Gilkison knew she ultimately wanted to work in public accounting, but she felt she needed to sharpen and gain more technical skills before attempting to land a full-time position in the field.
Gilkison learned about Centre College’s partnership with the Vanderbilt MAcc Program. The program allows students at several liberal arts schools like Centre to gain the tools and knowledge they need to launch a career in public accounting with only one additional year of schooling.
“I felt like in addition to all of the technical skills I would gain from the program, I would get a chance to expand my professional network with the peers in my cohort and the alumni, and also have the chance to leverage some of the resources the school offers like interview prep that could help set me apart as I look for a full-time opportunity,” she said.
The spring before Gilkison began the Vanderbilt MAcc program, she had the opportunity to have her resume reviewed and attend Welcome Weekend, where she had her first interactions with all of the Big 4 accounting firms: PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, and EY. By the summer of 2022, Gilkison had begun networking with alums at the firms ahead of the recruiting cycle in the fall.
From mid-September through mid-October, she spent time interviewing with each firm, and by the end of October, Gilkison accepted an offer from KPMG as an Economic and Valuation Services Intern.
“It was a really tough choice, because all of the firms were great,” Wilkison said. “What really stood out for me with KPMG is the opportunity I had to interact with people on the team I would specifically be working on. KPMG really went out of their way to have people chat with me and make sure I wouldn’t be going into working with them blindly. Having a better sense of what I would be doing working for them gave me an extra sense of comfort.”
Gilkison began working with KPMG’s Atlanta office in January 2023.
Click through the timeline below to see a visual of how Gilkison got the KPMG internship.
