Daemen College : Admissions : Meet our Students : Kelvin Espinal
Kelvin Espinal
B.S./M.S. Accounting
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Espinal stumbled across Daemen on a college website, while he was searching for the top physical therapy schools in New York State. He visited Daemen on a bus trip, stayed overnight on campus, and made up his mind to apply. With the help of New York State’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Espinal became a student at Daemen College.
How did you find out about Daemen, and why did you choose to come here?
I found out about Daemen through a college website ranking Daemen as a top Physical Therapy school in New York. I participated in a bus trip hosted by Daemen where they drove us up from the city and we stayed overnight with a freshman. I then applied for the HEOP program and was accepted. With the help of HEOP I was able to afford to attend Daemen and switched my major to accounting.
Do you have a favorite memory of your time at Daemen?
My favorite memory of my time at Daemen is being inducted into the National Business and Accounting society. It was the most distinguished academic award I have received.
Are you in the BS/MS accounting program?
Yes, I have been in the BS accounting program since my freshman year and changed to the BS/MS accounting program my junior year. With new the 150-hour education requirement become a CPA, the BS/MS program was a perfect fit to my career plans.
How did you find out about your internship at PricewaterhouseCooper?
I was recommended by the CFO at my current employer, Northtown Automotive Co's. He was employed with PwC for almost 10 years and believed I would benefit from a career in public accounting.
Did you research internships on your own, or did you receive some help from the Daemen Career Center?
The Daemen Career Center helped me find my job with Northtown Automotive Co's in fall 2007. It was an important conduit in my professional experience. It helped me prepare for the numerous interviews prior to PwC and taught me how to write a respectable resume.
What's been the best thing about your internship?
The two best things about my internship were the amount of traveling I was able to do and the opportunity to audit multiple Fortune 500 corporations. I spent about 50% of my internship traveling to Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Corning (cities I had never visited) and auditing Corning Incorporated and M&T Bank.
Has it helped you decide what you want to do after graduation?
Yes, I received an offer to start as a full-time Associate in September 2010. Therefore, I anticipate I will graduate in December 2009 and use the nine months in between to take the CPA exam. The experience at PwC helped me decide I want to stay in public accounting for at least the next 6-10 years.
Visit Us!
That’s the best way to really get a feel for what Daemen is all about! Daemen is located in suburban Amherst, New York just minutes away from the city of Buffalo. To schedule a weekday individual interview and tour the campus, email us admissions@daemen.edu or call 800.462.7652.