Hello, classmates! My name is Jennifer Grisham and I live in Jefferson City, MO. I graduated from Central Methodist College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Accounting, and numbers, has always been my passion but my previous employment has been related to accounting work only tangentially.

For four years I ran a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program as part of my employment with a nonprofit agency. I also counseled clients on small business start-up and really enjoyed helping them with forecasting sales, preparing budgets, etc. My position was eliminated due to budget cuts in September 2013. At that time, i had only 16 semester hours in accounting and no practical accounting experience that would help me get hired in an accounting position. So I took a job that I liked, but was not meant to do for the rest of my life. Last February, I decided to return to Central and will graduate in May with a second Bachelor's degree, this time in accounting. It is my goal to become a CPA.

Last month, I started a new position as a Utility Regulatory Auditor with the Missouri Public Service Commission. Fortunately, the experience i gain in this position will allow me to become a fully licensed CPA once I pass the exam. My husband and I plan to move back to my hometown in the next five to ten years. After we move, I want to open a business in order to offer tax preparation, small business consulting, bookkeeping, etc. At this time, I need to work out the details of which services I want to offer before I can move forward and complete a business plan.