1. Tell us a little about yourself

I'm a fourth year Accounting Student - I live in the Okanagan Valley. I am one of two partners on @thecorporateaccountant Instagram page. I have done two co-ops with The Royal Bank of Canada and recently finished a summer co-op with BDO in A&A. I am looking forward to next summer when I will be doing a second co-op term with BDO!

2. What made you go into accounting?

During my high school years, I received minimal knowledge about financial literacy. I realized that simple skills were not taught; in my opinion, financial literacy is one of the most important skills an individual can possess. I took it upon myself to take some accounting courses that were offered in different school districts. Needless to say, I fell in love with accounting during my senior year of high school and decided it was going to be a career path for me! In addition, my brother, who also works in the Accounting field has been my number one inspiration. He has always motivated me to reach for the stars.

3. What are some of your greatest challenges and accomplishments?

One of my greatest achievements was being able to design and implement my own financial literacy course for grade 12 students. I taught it in the winter semester of 2020 at my former high school - it really became full circle for me. I was able to teach students how to do their taxes, how to get student loans, understanding interest and credit card debt, how to read financial statements and their rights as an employee.

4. What are your hobbies or current side projects that you have going on?

Currently, I am working on making my financial literacy program available district-wide. In addition, I am partnering up with LeadUp, a local program that provides the opportunity for youth to plan and implement youth-led service projects in their communities, be a voice for youth, and directly influence youth-related programming. Our goal is to take the program in to the community as well as the school district.

5. What is the best way for people to connect with you?

Send me a message on my Instagram page: @erum_ahmad7 or follow @thecorporateaccountant