Name: Kelsey Day
Nicknames: Kday, Kels, Queso Diaz, and Ghetto Bitch Barbie
Hometown: Spring, TX (aka Houston)
Major: Accounting
Student Involvement: Business Student Council, Student United Way, Texas Boomers, And Beta Alpha Psi
Relationship Status: Single
Describe your dream guy.
Dream Guy: Intelligence is key for me. Someone who enjoys spontaneous adventures but also thinks drinking wine and watching Batman is a badass night. My second language is sarcasm and I love innuendos, so I need someone who can keep up. A guy who shares my love of travelling. Oh, and he can’t hate on my irrational love for all things Disney and ideally would grow to share the love. (*Writer’s Note: Also, as one of her best friends, I can also comfortably say that you should also be Mexican. She loves Mexicans.)
Worst Date Ever?
I could go into detail with the longest story you’ve ever heard in your life, or I could just tell you about the guy who called me by the wrong name the entire date and I never corrected him… Because that was pretty bad too. And then he was confused why I never went out with him again, but hey, I got a free dinner and a few drinks out of it.
How did you decide accounting as a major?
My dad had me memorizing square roots at the age of 4 and taught me about depreciation and amortization by the time I was 10, but I swore I would never be a lame accountant. After a few semesters at UTSA, I realized that not only was I really good at it, but it actually intrigued me. It challenges you daily and I like things that make my mind work.
Do you experience any type of prejudice being a woman in accounting?
Of course there’s the typical old school accountant who doesn’t take a young female seriously, but those troubles have been pretty rare. There is the feeling that I have a little more to prove, but I think that’s also just my personality, to want to be better.
My team at my internship is all guys so they make a point to help me feel part of the team, and in turn that’s helped me adjust in the field as well. But also, I think a lot of the men in the industry respect that the gender ratio is changing drastically, and encourage the change in trends. In the end, if I don’t do a good job on my work, I’ll get chewed out just as hard as any of the guys on my team.
What advice would you offer to someone interested in doing the 5-year program?
Do it. Having a Master’s gives you an edge in the job search and the classes required challenge you in a way that undergraduate classes don’t. Only an extra year of school to graduate with your bachelor’s and your master’s is awesome.
What’s the best advice you’ve received while at UTSA?
Be involved. I don’t know how many times I heard it and didn’t think much of it, but now senior year looking back, I can’t imagine my college experience without it. The networking aspect alone makes it worth it, but as *cheesy* as this may sound, I have my involvement in organizations to thank for so many of my friendships and memories here.
What’s your favorite sports team?
Chicago Blackhawks. And if you think that’s only because I’m a bandwagon, feel free to ask me about the Blackhawks’ history, stats, and just about anything else… I’ll win that argument. You can often find me in an oversize Jonathan Toews jersey yelling at a game, beer or whiskey in hand.
She’s a catch.