Student Spotlight: Ann Schmitt
As a hardworking senior at Northern State University, Ann Schmitt is a professional accounting major with a minor in banking.
From Redfield, S.D., Schmitt originally attended Minnesota State University Moorhead for biology before transferring to Northern.
“I found that lab wasn’t for me,” said Schmitt. “I was unhappy. I was three hours away from home doing something that I wasn’t truly interested in.”
From there, Schmitt’s sister-in-law, a Northern graduate, had suggested attending NSU's School of Business.
“It was closer to home, and you get a lot for the price you pay,” said Schmitt. “The professors are so open and willing to help you, you get to know them well.”
Schmitt has since done multiple course overloads at NSU, motivated by being the first person in her immediate family to get a four-year degree.
Internships Through Northern
During her time at NSU, Schmitt has had many internship opportunities, her most recent being last year with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) in St. Cloud, Minn., the eighth largest accountancy firm in the United States.
“I never would have found out about CLA if not for Northern,” said Schmitt. “Northern brought them to campus and my classes gave me the skills to work with them. Now I have a company that wants to work with me in the future.”
Schmitt has also taught as a supplemental instructor (S.I.) for Northern’s principles of accounting class.
Schmitt currently works as an intern at Agtegra in the grain department, learning about their different grades of grain along with their billing system.
“My internships always matched up very well with my classes at Northern,” said Schmitt. “After learning something in class, I would almost always see it when I worked the next day.”
Schmitt will be working in a fulltime position with CLA starting next January after she graduates.
Vision for the Future
Schmitt’s plans for the near future are to graduate in fall 2018 with a four-year degree in professional accounting with a minor in banking.
After graduating, Schmitt will start her full-time position with CLA as an associate. Schmitt also hopes to be able to teach in her field, having gained a passion for teaching after her S.I. work.
“The S.I. position made me realize I may not want to be a CPA forever,” said Schmitt. “It showed me that there is more to professional accounting than just being a public accountant. I could teach.”
Schmitt plans to spend 2019 getting her CPA certification, a process that takes about a year and includes working 1,000 hours under a licensed CPA and passing four exams.