Jarrod Rickman has been a team player — in baseball — for most of his life. Actually, that’s what led him into accounting.

Jarrod began playing baseball in his native South Carolina and continued all the way through college at Furman. “Being part of a team sport provided me with the drive to always want to better myself,” he says.

At his father’s urging, he had considered Accounting as part of a double major with Economics. But after completing his first college course in the subject, he says, “I felt like accounting was not for me.” Then, he adds, he learned about the teamwork involved in being on an engagement team, and his career aspirations shifted.

Eventually, he’d like to be in a leadership role, though he’s unsure whether that would take the form of a partner at EY, where he landed a spot after graduation, or as a corporate CFO.

One thing he is certain about: Vanderbilt was the right choice to get him wherever he aims to go. Teamwork, not surprisingly, was no small part of it for Jarrod. “The Owen community is unique, and I learned how tight-knit MAcc classes become during their time together,” he says. “I wanted to be part of such a group where I could build long-lasting relationships while receiving a top-notch graduate education.” 

Fun Fact: Along with playing baseball, Jarrod plays the ukulele.

“Being part of a team sport provided me with drive to always want to better myself.”