NCCC Success Story

Hometown
Sutter, California

Degree programs
B.S. in Business Administration and M.S. in Multidisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Service Management, Tourism Management and Business.

Year of graduation
2011

Place of employment
I started as an intern for BNY Mellon and got hired here for a permanent job right after my internship. I work at BNY Mellon full-time and I teach evening classes in American Sign Language at the University of Pittsburgh. I have a lot on my plate, but I really enjoy being able to share my culture and language with others.

Job Title
I am a court accountant at BNY Mellon working in the Wealth Management department. At University of Pittsburgh I am an ASL instructor in the "Less Commonly Taught Languages" department.

Work Responsibilities
At BNY Mellon I do a fair amount of accounting work. I administer court accounts, execute accounting functions and review cases to be filed with the probate court from the administrators of accounts. I work with a number of clients and supervise and service court account cases directly assigned to me. To accomplish my job, I work with different levels of employees throughout the company as well as lawyers and administrators.

At the University of Pittsburgh, I am a part-time ASL instructor. I created a curriculum, implement it in class and teach ASL courses for students. During the process, they not only learn ASL but also gain knowledge about Deaf culture.

How my career relates to my degree from RIT/NTID
Some business aspects of my degree relate to my job. I was fortunate to receive the training I needed for this job at BNY Mellon and have the opportunity to learn an entirely new subject from the ground up. As for teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, I was given the opportunity to teach despite my lack of teaching experience. Both jobs are two entirely different subjects and I've gained a lot of knowledge and personal growth from both. It’s a great experience.

Advice
I would say that life is not linear but more of a walk in the woods. Every path will have its obstacles, trees and boulders. Every fork in the path is an opportunity. Don't be afraid, but jump at every opportunity with your dreams and goals in mind. You eventually will reach the end of the woods out to the open where your dreams and goals lie just within your reach. For example, I never dreamt of being a teacher or an accountant. I never even imagined living in Pittsburgh! But this has been a wild and fun ride. I can see the pieces falling into place.