Accounting grad ready to work

Weller is set to start as an audit associate at the accounting firm BDO in downtown Minneapolis in September. It’s a position she accepted in fall after being interviewed by several firms.

“I got to interview at several different firms, make lists and make the decision myself,” she said. “When I went to BDO it just felt right.”

The Sauk Centre native graduated with an in-demand degree in accounting. The major is No. 1 on Forbes’ list of top college majors for finding full-time work.

With two brothers who have Ph.Ds in statistics and an actuary sister, Weller came to St. Cloud State with a plan to major in math.

“I soon found out calculus wasn’t as exciting as it was in high school to me,” she said. “I tried something else — picked up a class. It happened to be accounting and it jelled for me. … It’s really a big blessing because the accounting department has been one of my favorite parts about my experience at St. Cloud State.”

Weller found professors who cared about her both in and out of the classroom.

“They’ve really impressed me — with the size of the university how much they really care about each individual student,” she said. “That was something that was very important to me and made me nervous coming to a school of this size, but I was so pleasantly surprised.”

Weller is a remarkable person who always had a plan for achieving her goals and now doors of opportunity are opening for her, said Accounting Professor Kristin Portz, Weller’s adviser.

“With her work ethic and positive approach to everything she sets her mind to, it is no surprise she has excelled in both academics and athletics,” Portz said. “She is a salt-of-the-earth kid from Central Minnesota who has a very bright future.”

Leader on and off court

Weller played volleyball and tutored fellow athletes and multicultural students in the Athletes for Success in the Classroom program throughout her college career.

“My experiences in volleyball and tutoring are just as much a part of my education as the classroom learning,” she said.

As a volleyball player, Weller played through a coaching transition — an experience she credits with helping her grow as a leader.

“Stepping away I feel so fulfilled in that experience because I know I was part of the change and part of making a difference in the program,” she said.

Assistant Volleyball Coach Marci Taumalolo coached Weller from the beginning and was impressed by her abilities as a student and athlete who always looked for ways to make the volleyball program better.

“Macy was the truest definition of a student-athlete at St. Cloud State,” Taumalolo said. “… She is a hardworking individual, a great leader and someone her teammates looked up to on and off the volleyball court.”

Career Center assistance

Weller credits the St. Cloud State University Career Center with connecting her with BDO and helping her prepare for job applications and interviews.

“The Career Center is really involved in our core education in the business school, which is why I believe our business school has such success,” she said. “They really have laid out what you need to do to get connected. … I felt having them on my side I always knew I had someone who could help me if I really needed something.”

She first met representatives from BDO at an on-campus career fair and then visited the company’s Edina offices.

“I just really liked it,” she said. “… I felt I’d fit into the culture there.”

With graduation behind her, Weller is focusing on passing her Certified Public Accounting (CPA) exams before starting her career this fall. She passed two of the tests during spring semester and has two remaining.

I’m really excited to see where my career will start heading,” Weller said. “I feel very prepared, very ready to start applying the stuff I’ve been learning these four years.”