The values of a liberal arts education continue to play a major role in Margaret Blair Fitzgerald’s ’01 life. Initially, Fitzgerald attended Southwestern University because of its dedication to the liberal arts. “I liked the small environment that provided a lot of interaction with professors.” In her first semester, Fitzgerald took Associate Professor of Economics and Business John Delaney’s accounting course. It was then that she changed her major to accounting.

“I worked closely with Dr. Delaney and Dr. Senchack. Dr. Senchack was a positive influence on me. I now use what I learned in his Financial Statement Analysis class. He entrusted me and other Southwestern students with managing $200,000 of the Southwestern endowment through the Financial Analyst Program. This program peaked to my interest in seeing how the markets work.”

In her sophomore year at Southwestern, Fitzgerald completed a mock interview with KPMG, LLP. Shortly thereafter, she was hired by the firm, after only taking a few accounting courses. In her junior year, she interned with the firm to gain additional experience. Upon graduation, Fitzgerald began to work full time with KPMG in Houston, Texas. “As with most big accounting firms, I worked long hours, and I did not have time for friends or family or myself. I realized that I wanted a better work-life balance.”

Fitzgerald now works in the Division of Corporate Finance for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C. “In my role, I review documents filed with the SEC for conformity with accounting policies. The thing that I love most about my job is that I continue to learn and continue to be challenged. It has been an amazing opportunity, so far.”

Fitzgerald encourages today’s students to “become good team members. It is valued in the work place, and that is the key to your success.”