When Liz Lowery, BS Accounting ’18, first decided to enroll at George Mason University, she had yet to figure out which field she wanted to study.
Coming from a small town outside of Richmond, Virginia, she was immediately drawn to the faster paced environment, academic opportunities, and access to Washington, D.C., that Mason offered. After a few classes, she found that her accounting course was the first time she was truly challenged in school, and that was the challenge she needed to stay engaged. She transferred to the Honors College for her sophomore year and wrote a research paper on the United States’ progressive tax system compared to the tax systems of other countries, which ignited her interest in international tax. Her passion has led her to an outstanding career as an international tax manager at KPMG, a multinational professional services network.
It was actually a little bit of peer pressure that led Lowery to apply to KPMG. “Coming up through school, all the people I looked up to were on the KPMG recruiting train,” she says. “If you surround yourself by good people, peer pressure can be a good thing.” That peer pressure got her into attending a few informal meet-and-greets. Ultimately, she was accepted into KPMG’s externship program before completing their traditional summer internship later in 2018. The experience was so incredible for Lowery that she went to the partner in charge of international tax for her region about continuing her internship part time in the Richmond office while she completed her master’s at Virginia Commonwealth University. One of her biggest mentors in the Richmond, Virginia, office was fellow alum Alex Wagenknecht, BS Finance ’13, BA Economics ’13. Lowery appreciates how she’s been able to identify and build relationships with mentors at KPMG. “It’s not just about the tax or technical aspects,” she says. “Sometimes it’s, hey, I need better work/life balance. What are the tips and tricks that work for you?”
Not only were many of her peers interested in KPMG but she also took a course taught by a former employee of the firm, Kelly Wentland, an assistant professor of accounting. “Liz was unique as a student in that her areas of strength were in the tax topics most other students struggled with, business entity tax and international tax,” says Wentland. “It is no surprise that international tax is where she has grown her career and expertise. As a former KPMG tax employee myself, I am especially glad to know that she has established her career with this terrific group.”
The longer that Lowery works at KPMG, the more Mason alumni she encounters. Sarah Shuey, BS Accounting ’03, is a director in Advisory’s Finance Transformation practice. “When I was on campus as a student, I met with all the firms,” says Shuey. “I just felt like I could be myself at KPMG. From a retention perspective, I want to be challenged all the time, and I can just raise my hand and say I think I need something new.” She’s gone through two rotations now, starting in audit out of the Washington, D.C., office and now doing advisory in the Richmond office. Both Lowery and Shuey appreciate how much variety they have in their jobs, from managing different clients facing different opportunities to campus recruiting. “My parents thought I was getting an accounting degree and would sit alone at a desk and add numbers together,” says Shuey. “It is not like that at all.”
Like Shuey, Lowery also tries to make it back to campus whenever she can for the annual business celebration or recruiting events. One of her biggest pieces of advice to current accounting students is to start planning when they are going to complete the CPA exam before they figure out when they are going to graduate. “It is four four-hour exams with about 400 hours studying recommended, so not something to take lightly,” she says. Lowery did not take the task lightly. After graduating from Mason, she enrolled into the master’s program and immediately began preparing for the CPA exam. She was still interning at KPMG, and they supported her studies, knowing that they wanted her to be certified. Essentially, it was a six-month CPA boot camp, and that thorough planning paid off for her.
Liz Lowery found an environment at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University that challenged and encouraged her. She built connections, set goals, gained a wealth of knowledge, and is now an expert in her field. Still young in her career, she continues to learn all that she can both about accounting and the clients she serves.
- Learn more about the undergraduate accounting concentration at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University
- Learn more about Mason's master's in accounting program at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University
- Learn more about the Accounting Advisory Council at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University