by Aryane Uy as told to Beverly W. Siy
Thomasian CPAs are simply different. And it is all because of the word Thomasian.
It has lots of meanings.
Brilliance is one of them. UST is number two among the top performing schools for October 2011 CPA Licensure Exams, (in case you haven’t heard yet).
The word Thomasian also means competence, compassion, and commitment. The 3-Cs.
Let’s look for integrity in action through the 3-Cs. Let’s start with the first C.
Competence can also be in the guise of excellence. Thomasian CPA is always in the pursuit of excellence. Trabahong ‘puwede na’ has no slot in this profession. Same with sloppiness. Short to perfection, if not perfection, is always the aim. Therefore, time management is vital.
As an accounting student, I go to class on time not only as respect to my classmates and of course to my professors and to my co-workers in the future but because I believe that the lectures I might miss due to tardiness can cost me a fortune. Being excellent is also about perception. Opportunities are everywhere even in small things like ten minutes of a professor’s lecture.
I submit my projects and assignments on time as well. If you do not give enough time for a project or an assignment, errors or mistakes will hound your work. Ugliness and dirt will creep in. Cramming should never be in a Thomasian CPA’s vocabulary. A work that is not neat and pestered with errors is far from the truth. To be an excellent CPA, one must always present the truth. So to be able to do this, a Thomasian CPA must master time management.
Speaking of truth, I also make sure that all my dealings are in favour of the truth. I am very conscious about this because I have made a decision to become a CPA someday. And this profession demands truthfulness and honesty from those joining the bunch. To top it all, I have made a decision to graduate from UST. More is expected from me. What makes Thomasian CPAs more in demand in the industry is the values that go with the word Thomasian. Remember the 3-C s?
I have to uphold these 3-Cs as well.
There are some students who ask for money from their parents for the required books in school. They jack up the price to gain extra money for themselves. I don’t do this kind of gimmick. In fact, I hate it.
I’m also honest whenever I take an exam. I don’t cheat. And won’t cheat ever. Sometimes, my score is higher than what it’s supposed to be. I approach my professor so he/she can record the correct number of points.
I’m very aware that corrupt and dishonest people don’t start with something big. They start with cheating during exams or copying a classmate’s work. They start with stealing small amount of money from their parents or older siblings. If a CPA has very loose moral fiber during his/her college days, there is a fat chance that he/she can easily fall into corrupt and dishonest work someday.
Excellence also means a high degree of respect in one’s work. Contrary to the belief that something will flourish if we pour love onto it, I think it’s really the respect that makes something flourish. For example, whenever I face a profit and loss statement, I treat every detail with respect. Because I know these details represent other people’s hard work. So I’m ultra careful to the point that I just don’t double check everything after I am done with it, I triple check it. I respect other people’s work. I respect mine. By doing so, I think my work gets a life of its own and soon earns respect from classmates and professors. And from colleagues and superiors in the future.
The next C is compassion.
Thomasian CPAs’ integrity can also be seen in action through provision of service to others. One of UST’s missions is to hone its students so that they will always serve the poor and the marginalized members of society.
One of my idols is Miss Universe 2011 3rd runner up Shamcey Supsup. Beauty and brains. She is very hard working, persevering and a down to earth person despite all her accomplishments (finishing magna cum laude in UP and topping the licensure exams for architects last year). Most importantly, she helps people who are in need.
During the Miss Universe competition, she was one of the contestants who joined the Operation Smile Medical Mission in Brazil. In the local scene, she did some volunteer work last October 9, 2011, right after her win in the glamorous competition. She immediately joined the ABS CBN relief operations in Bulacan to help the victims of typhoon. I bet she has more volunteer works that are not yet publicized.
I believe that the willingness to share one’s blessings is part of integrity. I join volunteer works whenever I can. Sometimes I go with my friends (which is more fun really), sometimes I go with my family. Helping can broaden one’s horizon and it can make someone be aware of the injustices that happen because of dishonesty and corruption. A CPA should not just be curled up in the world of business transactions and cost accounting reports. There is a vast resource of inspiration for hard work and honesty in volunteering and advocacy work.
I also like the fact that Shamcey Supsup hails from General Santos. She is probinsiyana, just like me. I’m from Mindoro. I’m often called probinsiyana. That word connotes being naïve, shy and passive. But I am not like that. And so are the many probinsiyanas in the country like Shamcey Supsup. It’s also being compassionate when we avoid labelling other people. And one of the better ways to stop these labels in spreading is by proving others wrong. I do my best especially with the things I love. For example, problem solving, looking for the figures for this and that kind of transaction and analyses of debits and credits. I know I represent my kapwa-probinsiyana most of the time so I always put all my heart into my work. This is integrity and Christian compassion at its best.
The last C is commitment.
I didn’t really like to be a CPA when I was younger. I mean, I didn’t dream of being one. It was my parents who wanted me to become a CPA. One of their reasons was the pay. I was half-hearted when I first stepped into this college.
But now, as a second year student, I have come to realize that I was really meant to be here. Even though I get jelly knees during exam and jelly head during sleepless project nights, with the help of my passionate and committed professors, I have learned to love (and hate and love and hate) everything about accounting. I get high with general accounts ledger, billing invoices , accounting policies, payroll entries and financial databases. I know it sounds geeky but it’s true.
Being a student is difficult. Being an accounting student is more difficult. But being a professor at UST College of Accountancy (!) is surely the most difficult of all. Teaching and being in the classroom are just two parts of being a professor. It also involves preparation and checking of exams, recording the grades, beating deadlines in encoding the grades and many more. And of course, enduring the flood during rainy season! They can apply for a position in other “floodless” universities here and abroad but they just don’t do it. They choose to stay.
So I am very grateful that our professors here in the AMV College of Accountancy are all committed to share their wisdom and inspire all of us students. Their unwavering commitment is an integrity in action.
They are led by the ever amazing Dean Minerva Cruz, my idol because she spills out the best analyses in the house and works so hard to produce the best CPAs in town in the past few years.
Kaya naman nahawa na ako. I am resolved to continue performing my duties as a citizen of our country even as I graduate. I know I can be a good leader. I can also be a good public servant. During a lecture of one of my professors, I have come to understand why corruption pervades in the government.
It is because people give their nod to candidate/politicians who promise to take all the responsibilities like custody, record-keeping, authorizations of cash transactions and many more. It’s easier for them to cash in because they have the power and the means to mangle the records.
This kind of knowledge and more, I plan to use as a tool to help in the development of my country and fellowmen. All the competence and compassion are useless if one is not committed to something.
Someday, I may experience more difficulties that could cause me jelly knees, jelly head and even jelly body but I won’t give up. I will be persistent in upholding the professional standards I have seen in my professors. I will always strive for the better no matter what it takes.
That is deep commitment, no less.
All of the certified public accountants in the whole world have been college students before. Yeah, just like everyone of us. Molding of one’s personality and values at this stage, the college arena, is a big factor and therefore, will make a big impact in the professional life of a CPA. It can make or break a CPA, actually.
So I challenge everyone to help our beloved alma mater be successful in its mission every single moment. And that is by staying competent, compassionate and committed right now and in our upcoming Thomasian CPA days.
Thank you.
References
Mission and Vision. ust.edu.ph
Article written by author/admin. Miss Universe 2011 3rd runner up Shamcey supsup now a certified kapamilya from mint screen.com.
Article List of Miss Universe 2011 Candidates now on São Paulo, Brazil from Pinoy-thinking.blogspot.com
First time kong sumulat ng oration, anak ng teteng. at sa Ingles pa! Si Aryane po ay kamag-anak ng jowa ng kapatid kong si Insiyang. Hello, Dilat!
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