Margharet Chavez

The phrases “your honor” and “order in the court” have always been part of Margharet’s grand plan, but what she didn’t plan for was the addition of “Accounting 101.”

Margharet entered college as a communications major to prepare for a career in entertainment law. With a background in acting and dancing, it seemed like a perfect match.

In her sophomore year, Margharet started having reservations about her communications degree being able to provide her the career stability that she craved. Still planning to go to law school, Margharet’s game plan shifted when she fell in love with her Financial Accounting course.

A career in law was something Margharet had always wanted, but the intellectual puzzle of tax law was quickly growing on her. After some soul-searching, Margharet realized it was possible to have the best of both worlds. By getting her CPA license, specializing in tax accounting, and going for her Juris Doctorate, she could have her career and…eat it too? You know what we mean.

Of course both CPAs and lawyers make the big bucks, but Margharet isn’t in it for that. And no, she’s not just saying that. Margharet’s real motivation is to be in a position to make a difference in peoples’ lives and in her community. She sees the need for strong role models in the community and wants to support organizations that reach out to youth and provide them with career opportunities. She believes that it is important that “each of us help the underprivileged because helping those who are less fortunate is not just important, but an obligation.”

And those lofty aspirations aren’t just talk – Margharet has already started giving back. As an undergrad, she worked with Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). She also practiced her public speaking skills as a presenter in local middle schools, helping students improve their scores on standardized tests and inspiring them to attend college. On top of that, she is a member of AICPA, the Texas Society of CPAs, the Association of Latino Professionals in Financial Accounting (ALPFA), Phi Kappa Phi, and the University of Houston Downtown Professional Accounting Society. And she did all that while maintaining a 4.0 GPA (and applying for law school). Whoa.

Margharet has reliable, ethical, and competent written all over her – the trademark qualities of a Certified Public Accountant. Her professors think so too. One of them said “Margharet ranks in the top 1% in terms of her outstanding personality, her impressive intellect, her commitment to her goals, her interactions with peers, and so much more. She will be a superb representative of the accounting profession.” Praise doesn’t get much more glowing than that.

Margharet says that with her accounting degree in hand (with a little help from the AICPA Minority Scholarship), she will continue pursuing her noteworthy goal of becoming a Tax Attorney CPA. Since she just passed all four sections of the CPA Exam, Margharet's next step is finishing up law school. After that, who knows where Margharet’s path will take her. One thing’s for sure, her destination will be as amazing as she is.

• 7am: Get Ready and Go

  Time to seize the day! After I get ready, I grind some coffee beans and make coffee (definitely one of my favorite times of the day).

  Around 7:30, I leave my house and head into the busy streets of downtown, which are all undergoing massive reconstruction.

• 8am: Arrive at Work

  I work as a Deloitte intern on the Business Tax Services team.

  I report to work bright and early and review my "to-do" list so I know what's on my schedule for work that day. That list is a life-saver!

• 9am: Check-in with my Superiors

  Luckily for me, new projects come up all the time! (This helps to make every day interesting.) I usually schedule a few minutes to meet with my manager. We go over any projects I'm working on and their statuses.

• 12pm: Lunch

  After a morning of being "in the zone," it's finally lunch time! Sometimes I eat lunch at my desk. Once a week, I have lunch with a full-time Deloitte employee for job counseling. As an intern, this is a great time to discuss things like Deloitte culture, projects and general work guidance issues.

• 2pm: Coffee Break!

  Productivity needs fuel and my fuel of choice is caffeine--preferably with a little skim milk. Possibly my second favorite time of day?

  This is also a good time to mingle with co-workers for a few minutes. I'm amazed by how much work-related info I can pick up when I stop by someone's desk to say hi!

• 4pm: Check-in & Refocus the Work Day

  My work day is wrapping up by now. I like to check in with my superiors one last time to update them on my progress on assignments. Some of my work is time-sensitive so I may switch focus so I can wrap up another project if needed.

• 6pm: Leave Work and Have Dinner

  Nothing rewards a long, productive day like Chinese take-out!

• 7pm: CPA Exam Study Time

  Start on my CPA exam studying -- I have one more part left so I try to set aside a couple of hours a night to study.

• 9pm: Still Studying...Almost Done!

  I've still got about two more hours of studying before I get ready for bed. When you're on the go this much, getting plenty of rest is essential.

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