Alexis Colucci ’23 refused to let stereotypes keep her from combining her love of numbers, passion for sustainability, and commitment to social justice. In fact, her journey to becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) has been anything but boring.

Alexis was accepted to the undergraduate Honors Program and thrived inside and outside of the classroom as student coordinator for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program alongside faculty mentor Dr. Michael Craven. Inspired by this work, she proposed an idea for a unique Honors Thesis that would unite her desires to help others, acquire real-world tax knowledge, and become proficient in industry-standard software: exploring determinants and accessibility of local VITA sites using Tableau.

After undergrad, the choice to continue her experience at Marist was easy. “The transition was organic,” Alexis said. “It was simple, convenient, and I already had a relationship with the faculty.”

In graduate school, she worked with Professor Tracey Niemotko as a teaching assistant for a business summer pre-college course, creating educational content and materials while developing a deeper understanding of — and appreciation for — the efforts Marist faculty put into educating students. According to Alexis, this opportunity to develop creative strategies for distilling complicated subject matter to learners with diverse backgrounds “challenged me to think in new ways.”

Upon completing her graduate coursework, Alexis will have enough total credits (150) to be eligible for a CPA license and will come away with a toolkit of practical skills that will enhance her personal and professional endeavors,  and amplify her passions.

“I hesitated to pursue this degree because I didn’t want to be ‘boring’ and thought I wasn’t smart enough,” she said. “Choosing to pursue it anyway was the best decision I’ve ever made.”