Breonna Myers

“Start early, put yourself out there and make as many connections as you can,” says accounting major Breonna Myers, offering her advice to fellow students.

Accounting student and KPMG intern Breonna Myers talks to a professor

Since her first introduction to accounting in high school, Breonna Myers knew it was her true calling.

“I knew right off the bat it was something I was very passionate about,” says the 19-year-old Ewing, N.J., native.

Myers also knew the accounting industry can be a fiercely competitive field for students and wasted no time since coming to Towson University in preparing for her future career.

As a freshman, she applied for the global public accounting firm KPMG’s Future Diversity Leadership Program. Myers was one of only 90 students from across the country selected to participate in the prestigious multi-year program that provides training, internships and other professional development opportunities for participants.

“ Experiences aren’t given to you. Towson puts resources out there, but it’s up to you to make the most of it. ”

Breonna Myers

Myers will intern at KPMG’s Atlanta office in the audit department. She says she hopes to complete an additional internship at one of the firm’s international headquarters before graduating.

In addition to getting a head start on internships, Myers also jumped headfirst into the TU chapter of the National Association for Black Accountants (NABA). She even created a mentoring program to pair freshmen and sophomore students with upperclassmen in NABA.

“It’s about helping guide them and get them connected to the organization and professionals,” she says of the program.

Myers has plenty of experience with networking off campus, too. As a student member of the Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA), she has made many connections and met mentors through the organization.

“Start early, put yourself out there and make as many connections as you can,” she says, offering her advice to fellow students. “Experiences aren’t given to you. TU puts resources out there, but it’s up to you to make the most of it.”

How does Myers maintain her excellent GPA, network at professional events, give campus tours as a student ambassador and be a student organization leader? She says she learned the art of time management and the importance of personal responsibility at an early age by taking care of her mother, who has multiple sclerosis; helping raise her nephew; and working hard in high school as an honors student and cheerleader.

Her motivation through it all? Her family.

“I watched my older sister go on college tours and go through that process. I took some of her experiences with me, saw her grow through it all, and wanted to work up to that level,” she says. “Now, my nephew is watching me. So I have to work hard and be a good role model because someone is watching me.”