7 YEARS @ RG & Associates

January 28, 2002 was the day I was hired at RG & Associates and I'll never forget it.

I started working for RG & Associates when I was 17 years old. I was a Senior in high school and I only worked half days as a receptionist. I was so happy to have this job because I had been job hunting for months before I was hired and no one wanted to hire me because I didn't have any work experience. I was told I'd only have my job until April 15th because I was hired to help out just for tax season, but I didn't care, I had a job. When tax season was over, my boss told me I worked very well for my age and was impressed with how fast I learned things and asked if I wanted to stay! I liked working there, so I stayed. And I'm glad I did because of where I'm at today.

I worked there from January 2002 - April 2007, went away to school for 20 months, and returned to work this January. My boss, Roy Golladay, is the one who encouraged me to go to BYU Hawaii, and told me I'd always have a job to come back to once I finished my degree. I'm so thankful for his help and encouragement. Most of my friends who graduated with me in accounting did not have jobs lined up after graduation, so I feel lucky and so blessed.

I have learned so much working at RG & Associates. I went from being a receptionist, to an office manager, to a tax preparer and a bookkeeper. I've learned how to speak a good amount of Spanish and Portuguese because we have Mexican and Brazilian clients. I've also had the opportunity to travel to Brazil on several occasions and assist my employer with expatriate tax returns. Expatriate clients are United States citizens who live and work abroad and still have to file a U.S. tax return, however their deadline to file is June 15th, so our office's "tax season" doesn't really end until then.

I really do like my job and I'm glad I majored in something I like to do, or I would be bored for the rest of my life. And who knows, maybe I'll start my own tax practice one day. That would be cool.