As a Nashville native, Mac McDonald was well familiar with Vanderbilt. He had visited the campus many times when he was growing up.

But the MAcc Valuation program at Vanderbilt was new to him. “I had not heard of another valuation program anywhere else in the country,” he says. The distinctiveness made his choice easy, as he decided to pivot away from his original career plans and earn a degree that could take him in a more promising direction.

Thanks to the internship experience built into the program, it didn’t take long for Mac to move forward in that promising new direction. He counts the internship with Deloitte as “the biggest highlight” of his time in the program and “an incredible opportunity to live in New York City for two months and get some great experience.”

Along the way, he received valuable support from the team at Owen. “The professors took time outside of class to make themselves available when we had assignments,” Mac says. “The MAcc staff has been a huge help. They set up countless events and made them easy to attend and understand. They also helped with outside tasks, such as signing up for the CPA exam. The faculty and staff made the year an enjoyable experience.

“I also was impacted by my fellow students. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and have grown a lot with them. The program has given me a different perspective on the term ‘lifelong learner’—and it has given me my first job.”

Fun Fact: Mac loves playing basketball.

[The internship with Deloitte] was an incredible opportunity to live in New York City for two months and get some great experience.