Dean’s Dialogues: Get to Know MAC Student Julianna Lopez

This is the first installment in a series of interviews Poole College Dean Frank Buckless conducted with students and recent grads to learn about their college experiences.

Julianna Lopez graduated in May 2024 with a bachelor of science in accounting, a concentration in analytics and a minor in philosophy. She enrolled this fall in the Poole College of Management’s Jenkins Master of Accounting (MAC) Program with a concentration in public administration. 

Lopez currently serves as a graduate assistant for Accounting 210. She has accepted an offer from PwC to be an auditor upon graduation from the MAC program. Read on to learn more. (Please note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity).

How did your Poole College experience begin?

I entered as a freshman in August 2020 during COVID and taking online courses. At the same time, I had some personal challenges. All of that made my first semester difficult. I had taken online classes before, but that’s not what I wanted my college experience to look like. I knew the summer before my sophomore year that I wanted to make up for lost time and prove to myself that I could give it my best, given everything I faced during that first year. I spent that summer reaching out to people at Poole College to find out what I could do to get started.

When I moved to Raleigh in August 2021, I joined Beta Alpha Psi (an international IT, finance and accounting honors organization) and started working as a student philanthropy intern in Poole’s Development Office. The rest just flowed perfectly.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in your four years at Poole College?

Stress management and dealing with imposter syndrome. There were a lot of changes in my life during that first year, and the second year, I felt like a freshman again. It was a lot to get acclimated to the schedule and learn to be more independent.

The accounting program at Poole College is very rigorous. My stress levels translated into me doubting myself — Can I be an accountant? Can I finish this major? Am I smart enough to be a CPA? That’s something that was really in the back of my mind.

What helped you to overcome those struggles?

Connecting with my professors. I had that conversation where I said, I’m doubting myself, I’m getting scared that I may not be able to finish this. Robin Thomas from my Accounting 310 class took time with me. With her help and guidance, I realized I can do this.

A family member also told me that staying is half the battle. That was echoed by professors. As long as you follow through, take the exam, finish the class — it really is about trying your best and seeing it through to the end. Here I am four years later. I have changed so much, and I am so excited to keep going in accounting.

What is your proudest achievement at Poole College?

I would say there are three. I served as an executive board member for two years with Beta Alpha Psi, serving as vice president my second year. That year we achieved superior status for our chapter — the highest status. I was really proud to know that our leadership and the environment we created were so exciting that people wanted to join and keep coming back.

My second was my role as president of the Poole Student Advisory Board. I was a founding member three years ago. We established a very successful mentorship program. We awarded the first student-to-student scholarship. For that, we fundraised and had a surplus for the scholarship to award the next year. I’m proud I could give back to other students in Poole College.

Finally, I served as a federal audit intern last summer in the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and that changed my life. I think that I’ve found my future career. I wouldn’t have known about that opportunity if it wasn’t for the staff at NC State.

What classes and people made this Poole College journey special?

That 310 class with Robin Thomas really solidified my confidence in being an accounting major. It helped me believe in myself. In MIE 480, we went to Paris for a week to study abroad. That class focused on international business strategy and policy, and it had very interesting content, case studies and engaging work. Professor Chris Littel was awesome, and being in a small class with a group of people that I went to Paris with was special. We became close friends.

What advice would you give to someone coming to NC State who’s a first year student?

Reach out to the staff and faculty. If you’re coming to Poole College, you’re lucky to be coming to a place where everyone is invested in your success and in your everyday life. I still have people I worked with in the Development Office I’m close with and my advisor, Ayo Agunbiade, still stops me in the hallway and checks on me. Everybody wants to help you, and the only way they can is if you talk to them. Pick someone that you get along with as an advisor and stick with them. Four years later, Ayo has seen how far I’ve come.

This post was originally published in Poole College of Management News.