Elisa Cabrera ’25, is one of Eberhardt School of Business’s most dedicated students. Already pursuing her master’s in accounting with a minor in computer science, she took on many other opportunities that the school has to offer. She was the CEO of the Student Investment Fund, the public relations director of the Delta Gamma sorority, and vice president of marketing for the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity.
“First, I was a little overwhelmed,” Elisa recounted, “but as I got into it a little bit more, I realized that there’s a lot of deep thinking and a lot of knowledge that I can retain, that I can actually use for my own personal life.”
Earning two degrees at once
Elisa is on course to receive her bachelor’s and master’s in accounting in just five years with Pacific’s dual-degree program.
Pacific’s dual accounting degree fast-tracks your pursuit of a bachelor’s and master’s degree, while preparing you for the California CPA exam. Elisa took a wide variety of courses after enrolling in the program.
“With the accounting master’s program, you’re taking managerial, accounting and a bunch of other accounting courses that may not actually be offered to you at a lot of other schools,” Elisa explained. “This can include taxes, auditing and a lot of other courses that can actually prepare you for the CPA exam.”
Leading Pacific’s Student Investment Fund
While Elisa has been working toward her master’s degree, she was also CEO and the chief financial officer of the Eberhardt Student Investment Fund (SIF). Elisa and the other SIF students manage an investment portfolio that is approaching $4 million dollars. In the 17 years since the SIF program began, Students were able to return $1.6 million of the fund’s net assets to the University in support of Pacific’s mission and activities.
As CEO, Elisa has been responsible for ensuring the class stayed on track, presentations were on time and that students were all familiar with analyzing financial data on the Bloomberg terminal. Elisa says the CEO position helped her land an internship with Bowman and Company, an accounting firm in Stockton. “It looks really impressive on a resume,” she said.
Elisa says one of the most valuable experiences SIF students get is their annual trip to New York where they tour the financial district, including the New York Stock Exchange.
“We were actually able to talk to investment bankers and see what their daily life actually looks like,” Elisa said. “So, it’s a great opportunity if you want to actually put yourself in the shoes of an investment banker.”
Entering the world of finance
With graduation around the corner, Elisa is confident about the journey ahead.
“I definitely want to take advantage of the knowledge being fresh in my head and passing that [CPA] exam,” she said. “On top of that, I’m also hoping to work full time for Bowman and Company, which is the company that I’ll be starting my internship for.”
Elisa credits her professors for helping her succeed at Pacific. She encourages other students to take advantage of the opportunities the university offers.
“Don’t take the small class sizes for granted. With the small class sizes, you’re definitely able to reach out to your professors a lot more easily with a lot of larger schools,” she said
Learn more about getting a bachelor and master’s in accounting in five years in Pacific’s Master of Accounting dual-degree program.