ALUMNI CORNER SPRING 2011 PROFILE
Kaysian Roberts Gordon
Dear fellow alums and current QC students:
Here is an update on my career and life since graduating QC in 2001. I hope it will be of some help for those of you soon going into the job market.
Queens College was the stepping stone to where I am today. I was an accounting major and minored in Economics and BALA (Business and Liberal Arts Program). I enjoyed my days at QC and was a very active member of the community. I volunteered for the Queens College Ambassadors and the BALA Entrepreneurs. In addition to these organizations, I was a Queens Scholar for my four years at the college.
Through BALA, I started an internship in my junior year at PaineWebber, now UBS Financial Services. I interned for a year and a half part-time during school and after I graduated. While waiting for my first "real" job, I interned full-time for another year. At that time, I had been the longest-running intern for our group. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my internship was not to take "no" for an answer. I have carried that idea with me.
My internship evidently made me an interesting candidate for my next position. While still a student at Queens College, my auditing professor told me about a great networking dinner. At that dinner, sponsored by the New York State Society of CPAs, (NYSSCPAs), I went dressed for an interview even though I did not expect one. I happened to sit at the table with a managing director of a mid-sized CPA firm. We started talking, and he asked me what I now know to be a very common interview question: "Where do you expect to see yourself in five years?" Little did I know, I was telling him that I wanted his job in five years! He never failed to remind me of this after, following a more formal interview with the human resources director, I was hired by his firm, where I remained for two and a half years.
Shortly after graduating QC, I had begun reviewing for, and eventually took, the CPA exam. By the time I left the accounting firm, I had a CPA license in hand. While I was at the accounting firm, I had kept in touch with the financial advisor with whom I had interned. He was very much interested in offering me a position. Although I was not sure that I was ready, I thought of the fact that I had someone who was willing to mentor me. I accepted the position and have no regrets.
I have currently been back at UBS for almost six years, recently celebrating a total of eight years with the firm. As an investment associate, I do client reviews and prep for client meetings. I am one of four analysts in our group, on a total team of fifteen. I attend the meetings with the clients and the financial advisors. I ensure that anything trade/investment-related is executed based on our discussions. Because of my CPA background, I am the liaison between our clients and the hedge fund managers when tax-related issues arise.
I recently got married to a wonderful man, changing my name from Roberts to Gordon. As I am writing this, I have another reason to celebrate. I just officially received my MBA in finance, accounting and taxation from Fordham University, a step that also prepares me to take my CFP (Certified Financial Planner) exam.
I can't emphasize enough how Queens College has prepared me for the road that I am on. A few lessons that I have learned over the years: Get involved; you never know where it will take you. Don't ever burn your bridges, Anything you do, do it whole-heartedly. You never know who is watching. Always keep a positive attitude. My first full-time job was not just on smarts, but also on attitude and personality.
Looking forward to hearing from any of my QC class-mates or any current students.
Regards,
Kaysian Roberts Gordon, CPA, MBA
Class of December 2001
kaysian.gordon@ubs.com
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