Layne Karhoff loves new adventures. She has (so far) studied abroad in China (her LinkedIn page includes a photo of her walking the Great Wall); hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru; and jumped out of an airplane (with a parachute).

Some of this same eagerness about what exciting prospects might be over the horizon that led Layne to Vanderbilt. “I chose to pursue a MAcc degree because of the opportunities it holds,” she explains. “Having this degree becomes a ticket to being able to enter public accounting, where staff learn so much about how businesses operate. From there, you can apply this knowledge to your engagements at the public accounting firm or use it to help a private business succeed. The possibilities are endless.”

A visit convinced her that Vanderbilt was the right place to equip herself to explore those possibilities. “When I first walked on campus,” she says, “I could see the passion flowing in students just by observing their interactions with each other and their studying. Everyone was there to pursue their dreams, and they were all working extremely hard for it. The atmosphere was amazing.”

Layne was equally impressed by her professors and how they apply their knowledge on behalf of students. “A lot of them even wrote the books for the classes they teach,” she notes. “And their experiences in their fields and research done in them make for some very engaging content during class that students do not normally get outside of the textbook or at some other universities.”

She credits professors such as Bill Christie, who continually reminded students he was ready to help and just a phone call away, and Luke Froeb, who took students on hikes around parks on Fridays, with fostering a supportive environment. “When it is obvious that the faculty and staff care so much about their students,” Layne says, “it makes the atmosphere that much better.”

Fun Fact: Layne enjoys CrossFit workouts and running.

When it is obvious that the faculty and staff care so much about their students, it makes the atmosphere that much better.