School of Taxation Students

Meet Some of Our Students

San Francisco Day Program

As a middle-school teacher in South Korea, Meg Song loved her students and enjoyed the classroom, but something was missing. "I realized my heart was not in teaching," she remembers. "The environment lacked challenge and passion." Meg came to the US in the late 1990s to study economics and accounting at San Francisco State University and quickly realized the excitement she was seeking could be found in the field of tax.

Yes, tax.

"Who says tax practitioners are dull and boring?" she laughs. Meg finds her fellow tax enthusiasts "hard-working, brilliant and above all, fun!"

After passing the CPA exam, Meg joined Golden Gate University's accelerated, nine-month day program to get her master's in taxation. In the very first class, Tax Research and Decision Making, she knew she had made the right choice. "It was nothing like other classes I've had in college. Instead of having to absorb what's being told in class, it was more like 'learning by doing.'" Meg enjoyed doing research using search engines designed for the tax profession. "Even in the first session, I felt like I was one of them already, a tax professional."

Through the School of Taxation's longstanding internship program, Meg received an offer from Harb, Levy & Weiland, a prestigious San Francisco financial-services firm. "Being able to get an internship opportunity in a public accounting firm tops everything," she says. "A career in the field of tax has been my all time passion, and with the help of the program, now I am half-way there."

What would she say to others contemplating such a move? "If you have a passion for tax, the master's in tax program at GGU is a great program. The courses are very demanding and challenging. The reward, however, is… sweeeeeeeeet."

CyberCampus

"I think I got both of my private industry jobs due to the fact I was taking GGU classes," says Katya Ewing, a senior tax analyst at Google, Inc. Katya began her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the energy and mining group, but found she lacked the technical knowledge that was vital to her work. "I had to scramble to understand what I was supposed to do and most importantly, why." Her GGU classes helped fill in those gaps.

As a busy professional, Katya's best option for getting her master's degree in taxation was taking courses online. "I like that it allows me to go at my own pace and schedule study time when I have it. It's perfect for someone working full time and commuting long hours."

Katya has spread her program over four years, balancing the demands of a challenging career with the studies that will enhance her prospects for advancement. Busy as she is at work, she has consistently earned strong grades. And she's done it all online. Not surprising, perhaps, that someone now handling tax issues for the nation's most popular Internet search engine would thrive in cyberspace.

"I can definitely recommend GGU's master's in taxation," Katya says. "It's a lot of work if you have to do it part time, but it's worth the challenge." San Francisco Day Program

The master's in taxation day program is known for its accelerated schedule and the intensity of the intellectual challenge its students face. But for Billy Lozano-Curto, it meant one thing more: community. "Taxation is not the easiest subject to understand," says Billy, "but it is learnable. I had the chance to be part of a very team-oriented class. It was common to meet in small groups to do some homework or just have lunch and get to know your classmates better. Now that I am about to graduate, I can say that I have made friends in this program that I know I will keep in touch with for a long time."

Billy came to the US from his native Peru to complete a degree in aviation science, then went on to seek a second degree in accounting at Utah State University. The one required tax class in that program sparked his curiosity. Inspired by his instructor's personality and talent, he decided to pursue a career in taxation and chose as his graduate school, the university at which a couple of his professors had achieved their degrees — Golden Gate.

Billy knew of GGU's strong tax program from his Utah State professors, but just how strong it was became clear when he began looking for an internship. "I can honestly say that I owe getting the internship I wanted to the quality of this program and its reputation in the Bay Area. I interviewed with six accounting firms and received five offers."

Now Billy is preparing to move with his wife and two young children to the Dallas, TX area, to be closer to family and friends. He's looking forward to a bright career. "The master's in taxation is definitely challenging and demanding," says Billy, "but that is exactly what makes it worth the effort."

San Francisco/CyberCampus

Working students sometimes wonder if they can fit a graduate degree into their schedules and often ask how long they have to finish the master's in taxation program. Kathy Curran has one answer: Try 17 years! Kathy began the program in 1988 taking classes in San Francisco. As often happens with carefully formulated plans, life intervened. She had children. She moved to Hong Kong, then came back to California, then moved to Hong Kong again. Through all the transitions, she held on to her goal of getting a master's degree in tax.

Recently the School of Tax got this message from Kathy: "I am thrilled to say that after 17 years, I'll complete the program and look forward to claiming my degree at the May (2005) ceremony in San Francisco!"

What Kathy found was that once you enter the master's in tax program, you don't have to leave it until you've got your degree. It was during her second stay in Hong Kong, where she worked as an international controller for a US multinational company, that she discovered she could continue, via CyberCampus, the studies she had begun in person.

Logging on from the other side of the Pacific was not only feasible — it pushed her, literally, to the head of the class: "When I lived in Hong Kong, I was 15 hours ahead of my classmates who lived on the West Coast. It was the first day of class in Professor Walsh's TA 338 Tax Timing course. I responded to Module 1, Problem A at 3:47 a.m. Professor Walsh was 'dazzled' by my prompt posting."

Kathy returned with her family to Santa Rosa last year and finished her last course this spring. "I think the program is outstanding," she says, "and CyberCampus was the perfect fit for my schedule. Words of advice? If I can complete the program after 17 years, anyone can do it!" Los Angeles

As a tax attorney in Santa Barbara, Cynthia Brittain must stay on top of ever-changing tax laws, especially in international taxation, her field of expertise. One important vehicle for doing that is GGU's School of Tax. "I use the classes to directly assist me with my ongoing cases," she says. "I am able to keep up with tax law changes and fill in holes that I may have missed in law school. The instructors are real-world practitioners, so they understand where the issues are."

And, says Cynthia, they're willing to help. "The professors have been amazing with their level of commitment to the classes and the students. They have always been available to help with questions outside the classroom."

Cynthia was so impressed by the quality of instruction at GGU, she changed the hiring procedures at her firm. "In the past we had a policy where we only hired master of law students; however, after my experience with Golden Gate, we have now added master's of tax."

Currently seeking a certificate in international taxation, Cynthia feels the graduate tax program at Golden Gate has built her confidence in confronting sophisticated tax issues on the job. Her bottom line on the program: "It is just a really good education for people who work and go to school." Seattle/CyberCampus

Eric Kauppila's friends and family were always asking him tax questions, so Eric, who has a background in accounting, decided to get a master's in tax. Golden Gate's Pacific Northwest program offered the diversity of options that Eric was looking for. He tailored his schedule to meet his own needs, taking some courses in the evening at GGU's Seattle site and others online.

Eric found things to appreciate about both formats. "I like the flexibility of a cyber-class," he says. "You can log on anytime day or night." But he also learned the value of face-to-face instruction. Eric got the lowest grade in class on one of his first papers. His instructor, Tori Fischer, coached him, mentored him, gave him study tips and advice about writing. Eric credits her attention for the turnaround in his performance. On the final, he got the highest grade in class. "I might not have continued if Tori Fischer hadn't been so helpful and encouraging."

Now he's on the verge of a major career change, from negotiating grants for the University of Washington to working in the tax division of McGladrey & Pullen, a business-services firm with nationwide offices. San Francisco Day Program

As a new member in the tax community working as a tax accountant at Rothstein, Kass & Company, Cynthia credits her success to her master's degree. Intense is the word she uses to describe her overall experience at Golden Gate University. In spite of the intense nature of the program, Cynthia proclaims that students will walk out of the program with a comprehensive understanding of the different areas of taxation. The program equipped her with the necessary skills to succeed in the realm of tax. "The master's degree personally helped me to understand why I was doing certain things, the purpose of it and how it fit into the big picture. Whatever you learn in these classes, you will be able to transfer to that first job you take. Within the first week [of my internship] I was already given projects to complete. Had it not been for some of the materials covered in some of the courses, I would have been clueless!"

Asked what has been most valuable to her about the program Cynthia replies, "The people I've met and the network that the School of Tax has built… professors that are there for guidance and classmates which are now my colleagues. Upon graduating from the School of Tax, you become a part of a bigger network of tax professionals that you will continue to come across during your career."

Some words of wisdom for students interested in the master's in tax: "Be ready to immerse yourself in the world of tax….The program is really what you make of it. You can choose to have it open doors of endless opportunities for you or sit there and do nothing at all."

Los Angeles

Cory Chung began his career in public accounting, but he credits Golden Gate University's master's in taxation degree with enhancing his understanding of the tax code and with exposing him to areas of taxation he had not previously experienced.

"The most valuable asset I received from the program," Cory says, "was the networking generated through each class, both fellow students and professors." Cory found the instructors at GGU's Los Angeles location uniformly knowledgeable, but distinct in their teaching styles. He particularly liked the Tax Procedures class taught by Charles Rettig, who brought tax theory to life with examples from his own real-world experience. "Charles has the ability to keep students very involved," Cory says, "as well as entertained with tax."

Entertainment might seem an alien concept in a master's in taxation program, but for students who excel in this field — and Cory Chung is certainly one of those — the challenge of determining tax consequences for a given set of circumstances is like solving a series of puzzles.

Cory advises students considering the degree to waste no time. "I recommend they begin the program as soon as possible. The knowledge they obtain will allow them to excel in their careers." CyberCampus

When Rosemary Sanchez-Allen, a tax manager at Moss Adams CPA firm in Yakima, Wash., signed up for her first cyber-class at Golden Gate's School of Tax, she was expecting an ordinary "correspondence course." What she got was a lot more rigorous. "Partnerships. That was the hardest class. But Professor Joe Walsh did an outstanding job of explaining how things work. I was able to apply it to real life." (Rosemary's Partnerships class was so high-caliber, a friend asked to borrow her notes).

How did she like the cyber-format? "I liked the interaction. In a real class, there's a set time frame for the lecture, for the questions...and four or five people usually dominate the discussion. With CyberCampus, everyone gets a chance to participate."

Rosemary will get her master's degree this year, and is now thinking of seeking a doctorate. With a house full of small children, that's an outcome that might have seemed beyond reach, but Golden Gate's online learning program allowed her to take care of her family without losing sight of her career aspirations. "I'm a married mother of four," she says. "I don't imagine I could have completed a tax program without GGU."

San Francisco Day Program

When Howard Chan looks back on Golden Gate's full-time master's in tax program, what does he remember? "Reading, reading and more reading! The reading materials for each course are endless."

Howard came up to San Francisco from his home in Los Angeles last year to enroll in the accelerated nine-month program. That's the one that puts students on a fast track to the master's degree and shoots them out of a cannon into the financial services industry.

Howard just started working for Novogradac & Co. LLP, a fast-growing accounting firm and a leader in affordable housing. As he gets rolling on low-income housing tax credits, he feels confident all that reading will pay off. "Nothing beats practical experience, but once you get your feet wet, you will be able to transition the learning at GGU and accelerate your tax career."

One thing about the program that Howard found most valuable was its connection to the realities of the business world. "The graduate courses are taught by instructors with recognized backgrounds in the profession," he says. "Their personal experiences make the courses much more interesting. You can see the practical application of the materials. And all of them emphasize voicing your opinions and participation in class, which directly parallels the workplace."

Howard has a word of advice for students entering the accelerated program: "Clear your schedule. This program will consume a lot of your time." Then, like any good visitor from Southern California, he remembers to add, "But be sure to have a good time … with the program and San Francisco."