By Kara Turey

This month’s Alumni Spotlight of the College of Business is Meghan McPhee. Meghan successfully completed an audit internship at Ernst and Young (EY) during her undergraduate program at UCF. Upon graduation from the MBA program at UCF, she went back to EY full-time and is currently an Assurance Manager with EY. Meghan is our Alumni Spotlight.

Meghan graduated with an undergraduate degree from UCF in Accounting and knew she wanted to advance her career. She loved her experience at the university during her undergraduate years and wanted to stay in Orlando for school and work. She desired to be a CPA and knew this could be accomplished within the UCF MBA program. She loved that she had the flexibility to take the accounting classes required for the CPA exam as her electives and have more opportunities after graduation. Meghan says that one of the many great things about the program was the diversity in the classroom. She was able to learn from others in various fields and “this allowed for everyone in our classes to bring their unique perspective and experiences into our discussions.”

Accessibility of the faculty was a positive experience during her program. The professors were always approachable, available, and helpful during her undergraduate and MBA. While all of the professors had office hours, they were often in their offices during unscheduled times and also always available by email. This professor availability is something that sets UCF apart.

One of her favorite memories from the program was during her Organizational Behavior and Development class. The class had the opportunity to interview businessmen and businesswomen in the community to discuss their management style and their organization’s culture. The founder and CEO of 4 Rivers Smokehouse, John Rivers, volunteered his time and allowed Meghan’s group to interview him. Each of the other groups interviewed other business leaders and presented back to the class on each person that they interviewed and some of the take-aways from the conversations. Meghan and her classmates felt it was incredible to see not only all the differences across each group’s interview, but the amazing connections UCF provides with the local business community. It was also remarkable how available the business community is to UCF students.

Meghan is present in the community as an Orlando Economic Partnership member and part of UCF’s Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) Alumni Mentorship program. This program began last fall in which BAP alumni mentor current accounting students at UCF. Recently, she was invited to join UCF’s Master of Science in Accounting Task Force to provide industry knowledge and support in the evolving curriculum offered. Meghan enjoys staying connected to UCF and giving back to the university.

 

What was the most beneficial thing you learned from the Evening MBA? If applicable, how do you use it in your current role?

I would say that the most beneficial thing that I learned from the program was developing a problem-solving framework and being able to strategically breakdown complex issues. I leverage that knowledge in my current role to identify solutions quickly during changing and uncertain circumstances and identify where process improvements can be made.

How has your UCF graduate degree helped in your career? How has it set you apart from your colleagues/peers?

My graduate degree from UCF provided me with the leadership and networking skills that I use every day. I currently lead EY’s recruiting efforts at UCF, which has helped to not only set me apart from my peers, but also allowed me to continue our strong alumni network. It also has allowed me to give back to UCF by holding presentations to accounting students on a wide variety of topics from tips on resumes and interviews to communication styles and taking the CPA exam.